


Sanders Sides AU-gust One Shots

by Emyvio



Series: AU-gust fics :) [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - 19th Century, Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Bakery, Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - Circus, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Hospital, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Monster Hunters, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Professional Rivals, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Animal Death, Aristocrat!Patton, Asexual Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Assassin Logic | Logan Sanders, August Writing Challenge, Baby Thomas, Blood and Injury, Bodyguard Romance, Broken Bones, Bullying, But he isn't mean, Cancer, Champagne, Cheating, Cheating? I guess, Child Abuse, Dangerous snakes, Death threats against a minor, Demon Summoning, Detective Logic | Logan Sanders, Ex-Pirate!Roman, Fae & Fairies, Female Deceit | Janus Sanders, Flower Language, Gen, Genderfluid Morality | Patton Sanders, High School, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Hunter Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, I will also die for teen Virgil, I will die for smol Virgil, Implied Sexual Content, Internalized Misogyny, Internalized Transphobia, Knives, Let Patton be the Vampire for once, Let Patton use a sword, Logic | Logan Sanders is a father, M/M, Major Character Death (maybe), Marriage Proposal, Marriage of Convenience, Mentions of Murder, Mentions of murdered parents, Minor Character Death, Multi, Mummies, NOT AS BAD AS IT SOUNDS I SWEAR, Nanny!Patton, Organized Crime, Patton is a mean girl, Patton is buff and no one can stop me, Pirate!Remus, Racism against cyborgs, Self-Worth Issues, Shapeshifter Logic | Logan Sanders, Slurs, Trans Male Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Trans Male Logic | Logan Sanders, Treasure Hunting, Underage Drinking, Unrequited Love, Werewolf Morality | Patton Sanders, Witch Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, but they're a$$holes so it's okay, cybernetic enhancements, mentions of public beatings, nurse!Patton
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:35:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 35
Words: 50,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25652983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emyvio/pseuds/Emyvio
Summary: 31 days, 31 chapters. Each chapter will be a different Sanders Sides AU. If anyone wants me to continue these stories (or wants to do it themselves) please let me know!The list of daily AU prompts can be found at https://augustwritingchallenge.tumblr.com/
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil/Creativity | Roman/Logic | Logan, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Dr. Emile Picani/Sleep | Remy Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Morality | Patton Sanders/Original Male Character(s)
Series: AU-gust fics :) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1877395
Comments: 647
Kudos: 242





	1. Day 1: Fantasy (Royality)

**Author's Note:**

> Fae!Patton x Knight!Roman  
> Patton POV, Royality with background Analogical
> 
> Brillare- Shine (Italian)  
> Fiore- Flower (Also Italian)  
> Rosso- Red (I like Italian words)  
> Giallo- Yellow (Have you ever been to an Italian Bistro? It’s really good)

In the Kingdom of Brillare, it was not uncommon to hear stories of the fae. Some believed them to be just that: stories. Little tales to tell children before bedtime. Some did not believe in them, but still followed the tradition of deterring bad fae. It was not strange to see St John’s Wort or Yarrow growing in the windowsill of a family with a newborn. Or to see iron runes around a doorway, even decades after humans lose the ability to read them. The more superstitious would leave offerings in their yard and carry daisy petals in their pockets.

The small village of Fiore was not superstitious in the slightest. With a population of less than 60, Fiore didn’t have much access to Fae tales. They planted whatever flowers they pleased, regardless of whether or not it attracted or deterred Fae. They stayed clear of mushroom circles and flower fields, not because they feared of fae hiding there, but because they were too busy working to keep their village afloat. There were far more dangerous things hiding in the woods.

But if you were to walk past the village and into the fields, you would notice things. Like how some of the mushrooms were pulled out of the ground, preventing them from forming full fairy circles. How the flowers were sparse in all but one area. How at night the fireflies would stay away from that area of the field, yet there would always be a pale blue light somewhere in the field. If someone with knowledge of the unknown were to see the light, they would recognize it for what it was: magic.

Because living in the field of flowers was a tiny fairy named Patton. Patton was a tiny fae, only a few inches tall. But that didn’t mean that he was weak. What Patton lacked in size, he gained in magic. Patton considered himself the silent protector of Fiore. Or,  _ one of  _ the protectors of Fiore. Sure, the other protector knew nothing of Patton’s existence, but it was okay. After all, it was considered wrong for Fae to interact with humans as equals. Fae were superior in terms of magic and cunning, so it was seen as obscene to be friends with humans, much less want to protect them. But Patton wasn’t like most Fae.

That’s why Patton lived alone, in his own tulip on the outskirts of a human village. That’s why Patton destroyed the other Fairy circles. Sure, Patton was alone- an extremely uncommon thing for Fae- but the humans were his to protect. And Patton would lay down his life for every single human in this village.

Patton was extremely grateful that the village did not believe in fairies. That meant that every night Patton could wander the village as he pleased. He blessed the plants to have a fruitful harvest. He soothed the children who were suffering through nightmares. He blessed the newborns with gifts of strength and wit and heart.

(Sometimes, a traveler or two would visit for the night. They would always warn the village of the nasty fae who cursed innocents and stole children. The villagers would always respond in disbelief. Patton would always be sure to hide in his home for a few nights, just in case.)

Now, Patton promised himself that he would not develop attachments to the humans. He lived much longer than any of them could ever dream of living; it would only break his heart to grow attached. But Patton could not lie. He did have a few humans that had wormed their way into his heart. Three, in fact. It didn’t help that they were the only three that dared to wander into Patton’s flower field.

The first one was Logan. Logan was only 10 summers old. Logan was the son of a farmer and a carpenter, but all he wished to do was read and watch the stars. Every morning, Logan would be found reading a book under the old Hawthorn tree between the village and the field. Patton wished he could read the odd human language, if only so he could know what Logan found so fascinating. Sometimes, a village elder would come by and discuss things with Logan. Logan liked to use words that Patton didn’t understand, but it still made Patton happy to listen in. Some nights, Logan would sneak out of the village and into the flower field. He would lie there for hours, talking to himself about the different constellations in the night sky. Some even had stories behind them, which Logan would tell as one might speak about a deity. Patton would be in awe for the whole night, watching as the fireflies lit up the emotions on Logan’s face. Sometimes, he imagined that Logan was telling  _ him  _ those stories. And every sunrise that Logan went to leave, Patton fought the urge to speak out. Patton sometimes wished that he could compel the stars themselves, if only so Logan could stay and tell him more about them.

Next was Virgil. Virgil was not born in the village. He was found 5 winters ago on a hunting trip through the forest. Patton was surprised to learn that the child was 7 summers old at the time. He was smaller than Logan, and he was only 5! Speaking of Logan, Patton was pretty sure that the two had a crush on each other. It was so sweet to see the two of them interact, blushing the entire time. Virgil sometimes journeyed with Logan to the flower field. Sometimes Virgil would come on his own, voicing his concerns to the wind. About how he wasn’t good enough, and that the villagers shouldn’t waste their resources taking care of him. Patton made sure to use whatever magic he could to comfort Virgil on those nights. Sometimes he would control a frog or rabbit to go and cheer Virgil up.

Virgil preferred to wear larger clothing, even during the summer months. He was still small after years of living in the village, but he still helped in any way that he could. Virgil proved to be an excellent climber, able to get in places that others couldn’t reach. He would help set traps in the winter and pick fruit in the summer. He also had a knack for finding things (Patton may have helped in that department). If anything (or anyone) was lost, Virgil could find it. Virgil was actually the one to find Roman.

Roman was the third human to worm their way into Patton’s heart. It was odd, simply because it was different when compared to Logan or Virgil. Patton assumed that if he were to have any young, he would love them as he loved Logan and Virgil. Roman, however, was different. For one, he was older than Virgil. He looked similar in age to Thomas, one of the farmers, who Patton knew was 28 summers old. Virgil had brought Roman to the village one day, an arrow lodged into his shoulder. Apparently, Roman was a knight from Rosso, the capital of Brillare. Roman was sent to scout the trading route between Brillare and Giallo (Brillare’s neighboring country and ally) when he was attacked by bandits. The villagers quickly patched Roman up and he stayed for a week before leaving back for Russo. Apparently Roman had grown attached to Fiore because he would always travel there whenever possible. It was not uncommon to see people tidying up the village for the knight’s return. Every time Roman visited, he would bring gifts and tell stories of his adventures throughout the kingdom. He would also tell stories of myths and legends. Patton was surprised that none of Roman’s stories contained fae. Perhaps humanity’s knowledge of Fae has dwindled since the last time Patton left this village.

It wasn’t until Roman’s most recent trip to Fiore that Patton realized why his feelings for Roman were so odd. Roman had visited the flower field just before sunset, just as he did every time he visited Fiore. Roman sat in the middle of the field, just a few feet from Patton’s home. Roman liked to sit there until well after the sunset and sing. It was apparently a tradition he had with his mother that he wanted to continue.

Roman had the most beautiful voice. In Patton’s opinion, at least. Patton could lie there forever, just listening to Roman’s voice. Sometimes he sang happy, joyful tunes. Other times the night was filled with tales of sorrow. Every time, Patton would try and commit every song to memory, so that he could quietly hum along the next time Roman sang it. In Roman’s most recent visit, however, he didn’t sing about joy or sorrow. Instead, he sang about something else. It wasn’t until well after Roman left that Patton realized what Roman was singing about: Love.

Patton hadn’t thought about love in a LONG time. Sure, he had a mate many years ago, but they disagreed on how humans should be treated, so they separated pretty quickly. And Patton had seen the love blossom between humans, but he never thought about Roman loving another human.

It hurt. The thought of Roman loving someone hurt Patton in a way he didn’t expect. Humans were supposed to love other humans, while fairies loved other fairies. It was an extremely simple concept, but it still made Patton wince in pain at the thought. Patton didn’t realize how attached he was to Roman until now.

Patton was in love with Roman. It was the truth, plain and simple. And Roman was in love with someone else. Roman would eventually get married and never come back. Logan and Virgil would grow old and die. And Patton would be alone. Again. Like he always was.

So, Patton made a plan. He gathered ingredients and made himself a potion. It wouldn’t be a permanent potion (the ingredients to make that were much more difficult to come by) but it would allow Patton to fulfill his dreams before being subjected to heartache. Once the potion was fully brewed, Patton waited until the day Roman was expected to arrive.

Patton panted as he headed towards the road that led to the village. He was carrying the potion in a rose petal to keep it fresh, but it put a lot of strain on his arms and wings. Once he reached the road, Patton searched for a suitable place to hide. He eventually found a boulder along down the road. Patton made sure that he wouldn’t be spotted by any travelers before downing the potion. It was extremely bitter and made Patton’s insides twist uncomfortably, but Patton made sure that he downed the entire potion.

Patton bit back a scream. His insides felt like they were on fire and his skin felt like it was tearing itself apart. Patton layed there for several hours, unsure of if the potion was working or if he was dying. Eventually, the fire died down to a dull ache and Patton was able to open his eyes. The first thing he realized was that his vision was too blurry to see. Patton thought back to the glass contraptions that Logan wore and did his best to replicate them through magic. Once Patton had the contraption on (“glasses,” if his memory was correct) he then noticed that the potion had worked. Gone were his blue skin and wings. Instead, Patton’s skin was pale and his back was bare. He appeared to be just a few inches shorter than he remembered Roman being, instead of the few inches that he normally stood at.

For all intents and purposes, Patton looked like a human. Patton giggled, doing a small shimmy before realizing that he wasn’t wearing any human clothes. He felt himself blush as he conjured some new clothes. The pants were a little tight and the shirt almost showed off his navel, but it was good for Patton’s first summoning attempt. Besides, the clothes (along with Patton’s human form) would only last for three days, which was plenty of time for Patton to get over his feelings for the humans. His plan was simple: interact with the humans that he considered his family, convince Logan and Virgil to get together, find out who Roman’s love is, get over his crush on Roman and parental attachment to Logan and Virgil, convince the other villagers to install anti-fairy measurements, then leave and never return.

Patton stood up on shaky feet. It was a weird feeling to  _ walk.  _ Usually, at least half of Patton’s weight was supported by his wings. He hadn’t fully realized how much easier that made walking until now. Patton kept tripping and stumbling every few feet. It reminded him of when Logan was just learning to walk.

Patton shook his head, easily dismissing the thought. Today was not the day to reminisce. He could do that after sunset on the third day, when he would be long gone.

Patton suddenly felt arms around him and something near his neck. For humans, the metal would be cold but even without touching him Patton could feel the heat of the blade.  _ Iron. _

“Well, well, well.” The man purred, dragging Patton down the road,  _ away from the village.  _ “Look what we have here.” Patton didn’t recognize the man’s voice, so he wasn’t from the village. Didn’t Roman say there were bandits along this trail? God, this was a terrible idea. “You’ll pay quite nicely.”

Patton shuddered at the man’s breath against his neck. Pay? “I-I don’t have any money.” Patton said. He wasn’t really shocked to feel the magic in his voice. Without a name to work with, the magic wouldn’t do much other than preventing Patton from lying.

The man laughed. “Oh sweety, I wasn’t talkin’ about money.” Patton chose to say silent, not really wanting to know what the man was talking about.

The man dragged him off the road towards a small campsite. There were two other men there. One of them looked at Patton in a way that made him uncomfortable. Another whistled. “Damn, Rodger. Got yourself a real gem there, didn’t ya?” Patton shivered as the man’s name washed across his skin. It wasn’t enough to control the man, but it could prove useful.

Rodger laughed. “I was thinking he could get us a good amount at the next trade. If not, we could always have some fun with him.” The men laughed, and Patton wished that he hadn’t gone through with this.

Suddenly one of the men fell over, a dagger in their side. The others quickly tensed up, searching their surroundings. Patton felt the blade touch his skin and barely stopped himself from gasping at the pain. The man who whistled yelled out. “Who’s there? Show yourself!” A man walked through the treeline, shocking Patton.  _ Roman! _

Roman tsked as he walked towards the fire. Patton whimpered as the iron blade dug a little deeper into his neck. Roman stopped moving forward, but continued to tsk. “I was wondering where the three of you had ran off to. Now, if you let go of that poor gentleman there, I’ll make sure that your cell is nice and cozy.”

The man that wasn’t holding Patton charged at Roman, pulling out his dagger. Roman quickly pulled out his sword and began to duel. The fight didn’t last long (it was a dagger against a sword, what did you think would happen?) and soon the man was on the ground, bleeding out from the gash in his side. Roman approached Patton and Rodger, his sword tinted red. Patton felt the blade dig a little deeper and did the first thing that came to mind.

_ “RODGER!”  _ Since the name wasn’t given to him by Rodger, the magic did little more than make him freeze up. But that was enough. Patton quickly elbowed the man in the gut, ignoring the way the iron blade cut across his skin. He quickly grabbed Rodger’s hand and used it to plunge the knife into his own neck. Rodger let out a silent scream before slumping over, lifeless.

Patton panted a little before his actions caught up with him. Patton just killed a human, something that he swore he would  _ never  _ do. Patton was suddenly on his knees, vomiting in the bushes next to him. His human-looking body had almost nothing in it, so Patton was mainly dry-heaving.

There was suddenly a hand on Patton’s back as he heaved. “It’s alright,” Roman said, rubbing small circles between Patton’s shoulderblades. “It’s not your fault. It was self-defense.”

Eventually, Patton stopped heaving. And he slumped forward. Roman quickly caught him. “Woah there, friend. Let’s get you somewhere safe.”

Patton felt his cheeks warm up and his stomach lurch as Roman picked him up bridal style. They were both silent as Roman carried Patton to the giant creature he liked to ride on. Patton couldn’t remember the species name at the moment, but it was still just as majestic as always. Roman carefully positioned both of them on the creature before slowly heading towards Fiore.

Around halfway there, Patton convinced himself to speak. “Thank you. For saving me.”

“It was no issue. Did they do anything to you.”

Patton shook his head. “Other than the cut on my neck, no. They had just found me before you showed up.”

Roman was silent for a moment before he asked another question. “Why did you yell ‘Rodger’?”

Patton worded his response carefully, not wanting the truth magic to give away that he was fae. “That was the man’s name. I heard one of the other men call him it. I was hoping that yelling it would distract him.”

Roman chuckled. “That must have taken a lot of courage. I’m impressed.”

Patton blushed. “Thank you, Sir Knight.”

Roman was silent for a moment before responding. “My name is Roman.”

Patton barely fought back the gasp at being given Roman’s name. His skin felt like it was on fire again, but this time it was extremely pleasurable. It had been many years since Patton was last given a human name. “P-Patton.” He eventually stuttered out.

Roman’s hands gripped the reins tightly. “Patton.” He said, testing the name on his tongue. Patton had to resist the urge to shudder at the sound. Only in Patton’s wildest fantasies did he imagine Roman using  _ his  _ name. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Patton,” Roman said softly, his voice lower than normal.

Patton felt his blush return tenfold. Getting over this crush would be a  _ lot  _ harder than he initially thought.


	2. Day 2: College (Analogical)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil and Logan have a series of flirty interactions before realizing that they’re roommates.  
> Logan POV, Analogical with background Royality, familial Logicality and Creativitwins.

Logan felt extremely stereotypical as he drank from his red solo cup. According to the clock on the wall, it was currently 11:27 PM and Logan was ready to go home. He silently cursed out his brother for dragging him to this party. Patton could have asked his boyfriend to take him, but he wanted Logan to get out of the house. Logan watched as Patton and Roman made out on the other side of the room. He took a bigger swig from his cup and winced. Cheap booze. Logan wished that the other highschoolers here could swindle some better alcohol. Logan steeled himself before downing the rest of the cup. He needed a distraction from his boredom (and his brother making out with Roman Prince).

Logan swiftly stood up, frowning as he stumbled a bit. Logan had assumed that his tolerance level was higher than this. He’s only had… three? Four? Drinks. Logan should go get another drink. Logan quickly made his way to the kitchen, ignoring the other teens he passed on the way there. This house was pretty big, with multiple bedrooms for teens to have fun in. Logan eventually found the kitchen, wincing slightly at how bright the room was. There seemed to be only one person- oh.

Sitting on the counter was the most gorgeous man Logan had ever seen. Logan vaguely recognized him from the football games he attended with Patton. The teen usually manned the concession stand, wearing his overly large hoodie and dark eyeshadow. With his alcohol-fueled brain, Logan wasn’t shy to admit that he’d been crushing on the teen for a while. Tonight his crush wore a tight-fitting MCR shirt and equally tight jeans. His makeup was much more complex, complete with winged eyeliner and black lipstick. Logan suddenly felt hot all over as he moved forward to grab another drink. The sinfully attractive man just then seemed to notice Logan’s presence, swaying slightly on the counter.

“Hey, I know you!” The man slurred out. He appeared to be just as intoxicated as Logan was. “You’re the cute kid that orders cookies and water at every football game!”

Logan blushed, surprised that he remembered Logan’s face, much less his order. He then realized the first half of the sentence. “You think I’m cute?” He asked, internally frowning at the way his voice slurred.

The hot guy (who Logan was mentally dubbing ‘hottie’ from here on out. It’s not like anyone could read his thoughts) smirked. “You’re more than cute. You’re hot as shit, man.” The man giggled. “I’ve been crushing on you for a long time.”

Logan’s drunk-self couldn’t help but repeating the sentiment. “I’ve also harbored a crush on you.” They both giggled like schoolgirls at the thought, both too intoxicated to fully grasp the implications.

Hottie suddenly hopped off the counter, grabbing Logan by the hand. “C’mon.”

Logan let himself be pulled along until they reached the front door. “Where are we going?” Logan felt like he was forgetting something important. Did he have his phone? Yes, it was in Logan’s back pocket. Then what was he forgetting? It must not be important.

Hottie smiled as he led Logan across the street. “My house.” He led Logan to the front door, only letting go of his hand to unlock the door. “My parents are on vacation, so the house is empty. We just graduated and we both like each other so I thought-”

Hottie didn’t quite state what he was planning for them to do that night. It might have been because Logan chose that moment to press his lips against Hottie’s. Or that Hottie’s back was immediately pressed against the wall. Or maybe he was just too busy trying to get Logan’s shirt off.

* * *

Logan groaned as he woke up, ignoring the need to open his eyes. His head felt like it would split in two. What happened last night? Logan struggled to pick out the details.  _ Patton forced me to go to a party. He and Roman were… occupied. I went to get another drink and found that hot guy I’ve had a crush on for a while. I confessed my feelings and we went to his house- HIS HOUSE?! _

Logan forced his eyes open, suddenly realizing that he wasn’t in his own bedroom. While it was difficult to see without his glasses, Logan could still make out the majority of the room. The whole room was a strange yet aesthetically pleasing combination of charcoal grey and purple. The bedroom was sparse, with multiple cardboard boxes stacked in the corner of the room. Logan’s crush (was crush an appropriate term for someone you’ve already had sex with?) was sitting on the other end of the bed, writing something in his notebook. Logan was suddenly aware of the fact that he was naked underneath the thick comforter on top of him. He went through the mental crisis of  _ what the hell should I do  _ for a few minutes before the man looked up.

“Oh! I didn’t know you were awake.” The teen shuffled around before holding something out. Logan held his hand out and was slightly surprised to feel his glasses being set gently onto his palm. Logan quickly put on his glasses and watched as his crush played with his hoodie strings. It was very odd to see him like this. On one hand, he wasn’t acting like the antisocial yet terrifying teenager that he was at football games. On the other hand, he wasn’t the suave, confident young man that Logan met last night. He was… shy, and quiet (and, though Logan would never admit it… he was cute, in a soft way).

Logan felt his blush rise as the guy handed him his clothes. They were clean and folded, with not a wrinkle in sight.  _ How long has he been up for? And how long have I been asleep?  _ Logan watched as the man gestured towards the bathroom and walked out of the room. Logan quickly stepped into the bathroom and changed, ignoring the heavy nausea he felt from his hangover. He then made his way out of the room, making his way to the kitchen. His crush was sitting on the counter, his phone in one hand and an unopened bottle of water in the other. Logan’s phone sat on the counter next to him, connected to a charger. The man offered Logan the water, which he accepted gratefully, chugging half the bottle before using the cool bottle as an icepack for his headache. His crush winced at the action. “Sorry, we don’t have any painkillers around. Trust me, I checked.”

Logan offered a small smile. “I believe you.” He turned towards his phone and was unsurprised to see over 50 missed calls from Patton. “I’ll need to be leaving soon.” The man tensed up. “What’s wrong?”

He sighed. “Look, I know we went through some mushy shit last night, but… I’m moving away in a few weeks. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I could handle anything long-distance. But I didn’t mean to bring you here for a one-night stand. I wasn’t lying when I said I’ve been crushing on you for a while now.”

Logan nodded. “I am also leaving for college in a few weeks. There are extremely low chances of the two of us meeting again. While I also harbor feelings towards you, I do not fancy a long distance relationship.”

They sat there in silence while Logan texted Patton. Logan left out the majority of the details, just stating that he was unharmed and that he was across the street from the party. Patton replied that he would be there in 20 minutes.

“Hey.” Logan looked up, and his crush immediately looked down at his feet. “If we ever meet again… you know, after we’ve moved and stuff… do you think we could give this a chance?”

Logan smiled. “If we somehow meet again in the future, I would thoroughly enjoy being in a relationship with you.”

They sat there for a few minutes before he smirked. “Wanna make out until your ride gets here?”

Logan leaned forward to kiss him.  _ “Yes please.” _

* * *

Logan sighed as he finished transferring his belongings from his car to his dorm room. Luckily his roommate wasn’t there yet, so they couldn’t see him exhausted from going up and down the stairs a dozen times. If  _ he  _ was here, maybe this whole thing would’ve been more bearable, but-

Logan shook his head. It’s been three months since the party, and  _ he  _ was probably on the other side of the country. Logan still feels like kicking himself for not getting the guy’s name or phone number. But by the time he thought of that, his crush had already moved away. But even after three months of no contact, Logan couldn’t get him out of his head. He’d fallen hard, and every night after was filled with dreams that would never happen. Kisses that never occurred, words that were never said, smiles and secrets that were never shared. God, Logan would do just about anything to have one more night with the guy. Instead, he was almost 1,000 miles away from his hometown, sharing his room with a stranger and wishing for a nameless cute guy more than he wished for his own brother.

Once everything was arranged accordingly, Logan decided to go and get some coffee. While he technically had a coffee maker in his room, Logan wanted to stretch his legs and familiarize himself with his new environment (it had nothing to do with getting thoughts of his crush out of his head, that would be preposterous). Logan made his way out of the college dorm, already dreading the walks from his dorm to his classes. The campus was larger than anything in Logan’s hometown. It took 20 minutes to reach the edge of campus, and another 15 to find a decent coffee shop. Sure, it looked like a cheap rip-off of Starbucks, but it had good reviews online so Logan was willing to give it a try.

Logan opened the front door, unsurprised to hear a small bell go off at the action. What he  _ was  _ surprised by was the familiar voice at the counter.

“Hello, welcome to the Coffee Castle, how may I help you?” Logan looked up just as  _ he  _ did, and they made eye contact over the counter. Logan’s face went red as  _ he  _ turned around and yelled towards the back room. “Taking my break now!”

Another voice answered back. “But I thought you were servin’ a customa?”

_ He  _ blushed. “He can buy a coffee later, I gotta talk to him first. Personal stuff.”

The voice laughed. “Go gettum, V!”

  1. While it wasn’t a full name, it was a much better substitute for _him._ V hung up his apron before dragging Logan towards the back of the coffee shop. There was a storage closet just big enough for the two of them as they slipped inside.



V smiled as he turned on the light. “Hey.”

Logan blushed. “Hello. It is very…  _ nice,  _ to see you again.”

V smirked. “Look, I’ve only got 10 minutes before I’ve gotta go back up to the counter. Wanna make out until then?”

Logan immediately pressed forward for a kiss. “That would be amenable.” He whispered under his breath.

Time always felt slower around V. Back when V worked the high school concession stand, a five-minute conversation felt like hours of invigorating debates. That night spent with V felt like years of drunken confessions and passionate moments. And the 8 minutes they spent making out in this closet felt like an entire lifetime of love. Every kiss was a promise for more, every sigh was a confession that didn’t need verbalization to be understood. Logan was not well-versed with recognizing and acting on emotions, but after the lifetime he was feeling in this moment, he realized that he would trade almost anything to spend an  _ actual  _ lifetime with V.

They eventually stopped kissing and just stood there for a moment, pressing their foreheads together in some vague form of reassurance. Logan wished that this moment of serenity would last forever, but that was not meant to be. V pulled back and blushed, looking down at his feet. “I know we both said we would give us a chance if we met again, but do you still mean it?”

Logan nodded. “Do you?”

V smiled, leaning in to kiss Logan’s nose. “I wouldn’t have pulled you into this closet if I didn’t.”

They stood there for a few moments before Logan coughed awkwardly. “Could I get your phone number? I really don’t want to go through the trouble of trying to find you again.”

V laughed. “Yeah, that makes sense.” V typed his number into Logan’s phone before sighing. “I need to get back to work.”

Logan frowned. “Alright. Will you be here tomorrow?”

V smirked. “No, but I  _ can  _ be here if someone wants to go on a coffee date.”

Logan blushed. “That sounds acceptable. Is 1 PM a good time for you.”

V smiled. “Sounds perfect.” He gave Logan one more peck on the lips before opening the closet door. “See you then.”

* * *

Logan was a blushing mess for the rest of the day. Patton had decided to call him soon after Logan left the cafe, and he squealed when Logan told him of his encounter with V. Patton then spent the next 20 minutes telling Logan what he should wear for his date tomorrow. That’s when Logan realized that  _ holy shit I have a DATE tomorrow.  _ He spent the rest of the day at the local library, trying to find anything on date etiquette (or just how to hold a proper conversation). After promising to tell Patton about how his date goes, he reads several philosophy books to try and calm down. By the time the library closed, Logan was feeling slightly less flustered and collected enough to meet his new roommate. Logan knew nothing but the man’s name, so it was difficult to judge whether or not this interaction would go smoothly.

Logan approached his dorm once again, feeling a nervous twist in his abdomen. First impressions meant alot to most people; would Logan’s roommate be upset that Logan wasn’t there all day? While Logan wasn’t interested in being friends with his new roommate, it would be helpful to keep a polite relationship with the person he was going to live with for the next few months.

Logan quickly entered the dorm, finding his roommate lying on the floor, eating a bag of chips. Logan cringed as the crumbs got into the carpet, but attempted to be civil nonetheless. “Hello, you must be Virgil Storm. I am your roommate, Logan-”

Logan didn’t get to finish his introduction before the man burped loudly and sat up. “Oh, I’m not Virgil.” He used his tongue to get the leftover crumbs out of his mustache. “Remus Prince, at your service!”

Logan cringed again, suddenly recognizing the man’s face. While he didn’t go to the same high school as Logan, his resemblance was impossible to miss. “Ah, I remember now. We’ve met a few times before this, if I’m remembering correctly. You’re Roman’s twin brother, correct?”

Remus’ eyes went wide. “Yep, and your Patty’s big bro, right? My, what a small world!”

Logan couldn’t help but smile at that. “Yes, what a small world indeed.” He looked around. “Now, what are you doing in my room?”

Remus giggled. “I’m Virgil’s best friend! We were gossiping about the date he’s going on tomorrow.”

Logan nodded. “And where is he now?”

Logan heard the door open and close from behind him. Remus giggled and pointed towards the door. Logan turned around, ready to start his introductory speech again. Instead, all that came out was a quiet squeak.

Standing in the doorway, slack jawed, was V. Logan felt his cheeks turn red as he tried to come up with an appropriate response. Remus giggled again, and V then seemed to realize that Remus was there. “Remus, leave.”

Remus whined. “But we were gonna talk about the guy that made your heart flutter and your di-”

Virgil growled. “ _ Out,  _ Remus.”

Remus stared at the two of them while Logan continued to silently blush. He seemed to come to the correct conclusion as he laughed. “Well, the world’s even smaller than I thought it was. Have fun you two!” And with one last laugh and something whispered into Virgil’s ear, Remus left.

Logan and V- no,  _ Virgil-  _ stared at each other before Virgil started laughing. Logan soon joined him, and they became a giggling mess. Virgil wiped away a fake tear. “What are the odds?”

“Of the two of us being roommates at the same college? Without informing the other of what state we were moving to?” Logan adjusted his glasses. “Too small to consider.”

There was a pause before Virgil spoke up. “Well, I know we have a date planned for tomorrow, but we have two perfectly usable beds right here, and-”

This wasn’t the first time that Virgil was unable to finish telling Logan what he wanted to do, and it wouldn’t be the last. But Virgil was okay with that, if it meant that he was feeling Logan’s lips on his.


	3. Day 3: Soulmates (Intrulogical)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this universe, soulmates are found through shadows. A person can only see three types of shadows:  
> -Their own shadow, which is their soulmate's current silhouette (if your soulmate is a tall person crouching with a top hat on, so is your shadow)  
> -Their soulmate's shadow (your soulmate's shadow would be YOUR current silhouette)  
> -The shadow of anything that never had a soulmate (animals, plants, objects, etc)  
> A person CANNOT see the shadow of a person that isn't their soulmate. There are also special people who have nightbonds, which allow them to converse with their soulmate through dreams.  
> Normal people are born with tiny shadows that grow with them. Normal people's shadows act like normal shadows. Normal people's soulmates are human.  
> Logan and his friends aren't normal.
> 
> Logan POV, Intrulogical with background Prinxiety and Moceit (plus Logan+Patton+Virgil friendship)

Logan was smart.

At just four years old, Logan could count to one thousand, tie his shoes, and knew how to read books meant for kids twice his age. Logan knew other things too. He knew that the earth moved around the sun, not the other way around. He knew that Mrs. Smith didn’t like Mr. Smith and that they were getting a ‘dee-vorce.’ He knew that rainbows were like giant water mirrors. And he knew what soulmates are.

Soulmates mean different things to different people. They appear as shadows, but your shadow is actually your soulmate’s shadow. Logan didn’t really understand how that worked, but he didn’t ask about it. Mama’s shadow disappeared when she was little, and she doesn’t like to talk about it. Logan didn’t understand why Papa married Mama if they weren’t soulmates, but he didn’t ask. Because Logan was smart, and he knew that if he asked about their soulmates, they would ask about his. And while Logan didn’t know a lot about soulmates, he knew that his shadow was different.

Logan’s soulmate was big. Bigger than Mama and Papa. Sometimes Logan would lay in bed and his soulmate’s shadow covered him like a blanket. It made him feel safe and protected. One time Logan was almost hurt by a big doggie, but the dog saw Logan’s shadow and ran away. Logan knew that big shadows weren’t good. He heard about how Susie from down the street had a ‘peddle-file’ for a soulmate. But Logan knew that his soulmate wouldn’t hurt him.

Sometimes the shadow would change into something smaller, closer to Papa’s height. Sometimes the shadow grew so big that Logan couldn’t see the end of it. But most of the time, Logan’s shadow stayed the same size and shape. Logan knew it wasn’t normal to have a soulmate that changed shape. He knew it wasn’t normal for his shadow to have long, spindly arms with pointed fingers. He knew that most shadows didn’t have long devil horns, or give off an aura that scared all animals and most humans away. Logan knew that Mama and Papa wouldn’t understand if he told them.

Because Logan was smart enough to know that his soulmate wasn’t human.

* * *

Logan was brave.

Most people wouldn’t see that at first glance. Logan was a 17-year-old nerd. He was such an oddball that even bullies steered clear of him (Logan never commented on that. He knew it was his soulmate’s aura scaring them away. Which was interesting since  _ human shadows don’t have detectable auras _ ). Logan always had his nose in a book. Most people expected him to be a teacher’s pet, but Logan never answered questions. He never reached out to others, and he never spoke unless he was spoken to, so most people didn’t know how brave Logan actually was.

Even those who considered themselves close to Logan didn’t see him as brave. In fact, most people saw him as emotionless. He rarely smiled or spoke out of turn. He was the perfect child in terms of behavior and intelligence, but he never showed signs of actually enjoying the world around him.

But there was something that Logan enjoyed: his shadow. While it was disappointing to have no one to talk to about his soulmate, Logan wouldn’t give his soulmate up for anything. It was fascinating to watch, and every time Logan interacted with his shadow he felt safe and loved. Most people would scream if their shadow’s jaw unhinged to impossible lengths, most likely to swallow something whole. Logan watched with rapt attention, itching to write it down. He never recorded anything about his soulmate, paranoid that someone would find it. Instead, he attempted to memorize every new detail on his soulmate. His soulmate was 8 feet tall exactly, with an extra four inches added for the horns. While his largest form was immeasurable, his smallest form stood at 6 ft 6 in with no horns to see. Logan assumed that this form was meant to mimic a human, though he had no other data to support that hypothesis. Logan’s soulmate was also extremely fast, occasionally moving its limbs at a speed that Logan couldn’t track with his eyes.

Logan participated in activities that made sense to him yet baffled others. He spent hours holed up in his room, his shadow comforting him as he read a book. He ran for an hour every afternoon, though he had no interest in joining any races. He also went to the gym every other day. Logan’s logic behind this was that he needed to be quick and strong in case his soulmate meant him harm (this was a lie and Logan knew it. Not only did Logan still believe that his soulmate wouldn’t harm him, he also doubted that he could physically run away from a creature that could potentially travel at inhuman speeds, much less fight one. The truth was that Logan wanted to have something vaguely in common with his soulmate). While Logan liked to read philosophy and chemistry books, he could also be seen reading books on soulmates, fairytales and cryptids. While Logan did not believe that humanity was aware that Logan’s soulmate existed, he hoped he would one day find something that would even slightly match his predicament.

Logan was actually reading another book about soulmates as he sat under the apple tree outside of the library. The tree’s shadow loomed over him, but Logan could still easily see his soulmate’s silhouette. He wasn’t sure if that was a soulmate-thing or a my-soulmate-isn’t-human-thing. That’s actually why he was reading this book:  _ Everyday Occurrences for Soulmates.  _ It was mainly a description of how soulmate customs were treated around the world, but Logan hoped that it would give him more insight into how human shadows should look and behave.

“Get back here, freak!” Logan’s head snapped up to see another teen run past him. Logan vaguely recognized the patchwork hoodie from his biology class.  _ Virgil Storm,  _ Logan’s memory supplied.  _ Emo and social outcast. _ Logan watched as another group of teens chased after him. Virgil continued to run until he tripped and fell. Logan stood up as the gaggle of teenagers approached Virgil.  _ This won’t do at all. _

“What do you think you’re doing?” The teens looked afraid for a moment before they turned and saw Logan approaching.

The one in the middle laughed. “Run along,  _ nerd,  _ before you end up like this freak!”  _ Micheal Scott,  _ if Logan’s memory was correct (it always was).  _ Senior, quarterback, was held back three times.  _

Logan continued to step forward, ignoring the way his shadow lashed around his ankles. “Virgil has done nothing to warrant your ire, Micheal.” This was true; Virgil talked less than even Logan did. Other than being exceptionally talented in art, Virgil was essentially a nobody (and while Logan knew that looks could be deceiving, he- like everyone else- saw reason to interact with Virgil).

Micheal scoffed. “Of course he does! He’s a freak and he deserves to be put in his place-”

Now, Logan was very smart. He knew that acting violently would most likely result in negative consequences. But Logan also knew that Virgil didn’t deserve Micheal’s… anything, Micheal’s an asshole. But either way, Logan knew what it was like to be the odd-one-out. And while Logan was nervous of the consequences, when he heard Micheal call Virgila freak, Logan’s bravery shined through.

Logan was satisfied to feel Micheal’s nose break from under his fist.  _ Those visits to the gym were actually useful. Huh.  _ Logan watched impassively as Micheal fell down to his knees. Logan kneeled so that his face loomed just above Micheal’s. Micheal started shivering, and Logan couldn’t tell if it was him or his shadow that was causing him distress. He also didn’t care. “If you even  _ look  _ at me or Virgil the wrong way I will not hesitate to make your life a living hell. Understood?” Logan’s voice remained cold and emotionless. While his surge in confidence was making him slightly uncomfortable, it produced the intended outcome. Micheal blanched before scurrying away. It took only a look to get the other teens to do the same.

Logan knelt down next to the now safe teen. “Are you alright?” He held out his hand for Virgil to grab.

Virgil stared at the hand in shock, seemingly surprised that someone had stood up for him. “Yeah, thanks.” He took the offered hand, pulling himself up onto his feet. His sketchbook fell out of his hand, which Logan didn’t realize was even there. Logan bent down to grab the sketchbook for Virgil when he froze.

The sketch was of some kind of fae/eldritch horror combination. The creature’s face was youthful, appearing to be a man in his early twenties. Its arms were long and spindly, and his nails were sharpened to a point. It wore a white prince suit with a red sash. But what really grabbed Logan’s attention was the pair of devil horns that sat on top of its head.

Logan looked up at Virgil, who was suddenly pale and shaking. “Virgil, what was your inspiration behind this piece?”

Virgil grabbed the notebook and shook his head. “It’s nothing, just a nightmare I had. Nothing more.” He went to walk away.

Logan grabbed Virgil by the hoodie sleeve. “Please do not lie to me.” Virgil stared at Logan in horror. Logan stood there, feeling his desperation claw at him. “Please,” He whispered. “Please tell me I’m not alone.”

Because Logan was brave, and he didn’t want to be alone anymore.

* * *

Logan was observant.

While his observations didn’t help him in finding his soulmate, it did help him take care of his two new (and only) friends.

Virgil Storm apparently had a soulmate similar to Logan’s, as did Virgil’s best friend Patton Heart. Virgil also had a nightbond, a rare form of soulbond that allowed soulmates to visit each other in their dreams. Apparently, the creatures did not have a name for their species. Roman, Virgil’s soulmate, appeared to have very little knowledge on his species. While this did disappoint Logan, he was still grateful to have someone to share his findings with. After knowing each other for over a year, the trio were never seen apart, finally having friends who weren’t scared away by their shadow’s dark auras.

Virgil and Patton both had similar opinions to Logan on their inhuman soulmates, mainly that it was more fascinating than terrifying. Virgil was interested in the darker aspects of their soulmates, while Patton was just happy that he had a soulmate. Logan grew to care for the two teens. While Virgil was quiet and awkward around others, Logan learned that he was actually very snarky and cynical. Patton pretended that life was perfect, but Logan had seen enough to know that Patton only genuinely smiled when thinking about his soulmate. Logan had become quite protective of the two, as his shadow tended to scare off more potential threats than Virgil’s or Patton’s did.

Logan was currently running around the perimeter of the highschool as he waited for his friends to finish their activities. He had asked if they would like to join him, but Patton was asthematic and Virgil detested running. So, it had become a common occurrence for Logan to do his running while Patton and Virgil participated in their after school clubs.

Logan allowed his mind to wander as he completed another lap. He was disappointed that he’s so far unsuccessful in terms of meeting his soulmate. None of them had met their soulmates in person, even Virgil. According to Roman, the creatures had a much deeper connection to their souls compared to humans. He had also said that the creatures wouldn’t be found by their soulmates until “our loves are ready.” Ready for what, Logan didn’t know. But that didn’t stop him from exhausting every possible way to find his soulmate.

Logan saw a flash of yellow and almost tripped over his feet. Not stopping as to draw suspicion, he glanced towards the forest behind the school and saw something… odd.

Standing at the edge of the treeline was a man. He was tall and young, probably in his mid 20s. He wore an impeccable black suit with yellow accessories, which was odd since he appeared to have came from the forest. Logan followed his gaze and just as the gym doors opened. Patton sprinted out of the school, most likely grabbing something from his car. Logan watched as the man’s gaze followed Patton as he walked towards his car. Logan tsked as he darted into the treeline, attempting to not be spotted. The man was stalking Patton, and that was  _ not  _ acceptable. But Logan was observant, so he’d learn more about the man before making his move.

Logan had just reached where he’d last seen the man when he noticed something important: his shadow wasn’t moving. Any time Logan was heading towards potential danger, his shadow would move erratically around his feet, as if it was trying to stop him. Any time potential danger was heading towards  _ him,  _ Logan’s shadow would lash towards the danger, it’s natural aura deterring most creatures. But his shadow wasn’t moving. It was calm.  _ Complacent. _

Logan was so busy analyzing his shadow that he almost hadn’t realized that the man wasn’t there. Logan felt a chill go down his neck and he spun around, to find himself less than a foot away from the man. Logan stifled the urge to scream. His shadow wasn’t acting up, and Logan trusted his soulmate to protect him. But now that he was almost touching the man, Logan quickly realized something. How his smile was a hair too wide. How just standing close to him made Logan’s fight-or-flight reflexes go haywire.

Logan was observant, but it didn’t take much to realize that this man  _ isn’t human. _

Logan cleared his throat as he forced himself to articulate a response. “Hello. Might I ask why you’re trespassing into a high school to observe minors?”

The man looked guilty (bullshit) as he spoke. “I’m sorry, I don’t believe we’ve met before.” He held out his hand, presumably for Logan to shake. “My name is Declan Brown. I was sent by the school board to observe the school’s management of extracurricular activities-”

“Stop.” Logan suddenly said, resisting the urge to physically shake his head. A part of him was already nodding along to what he said.  _ It’s a perfectly reasonable assumption-  _ Logan did his best to shove the thought away. The creature obviously had a talent in mental manipulation. Logan wasn't entirely sure why the thoughts weren't working in him. Maybe because of his shadow? Or the fact that he knew that this creature wasn't human?

The (not)man gaped for a second. “Excuse me?” He seemed shocked. The thoughts became more intense and repetitive.

Logan started rambling, less focused on his words and more focused on getting Declan’s _ (that’s probably not his name)  _ manipulations out of his head. “Stop lying to me. No member of the student board would support stalking a minor from the school’s perimeter. Check up on your human facts before stating such a bold lie.  _ And will you shut up with the thoughts!”  _ Before Logan could acknowledge what he had said, the thoughts ceased completely.

The creature looked at Logan with unguarded curiosity.  _ “Who are you?” _

Logan crossed his arms as he ignored how  _ terrified  _ he felt. “My name is unimportant for this conversation. Now I’ll ask again:  _ Why are you stalking my friend?” _

Logan’s shadow chose  _ that  _ moment to respond, shifting forward so it brushed against the creature’s ankles. Logan then realized that not only did the creature seem to acknowledge Logan’s shadow, he also  _ didn’t have a shadow. Which means that he has a soulmate.  _ The creature stared at the shadow before laughing. “Ah. That makes much more sense.”

Logan frowned. “Please answer my question.”

The creature’s smile seemed more genuine as he held out his hand again. “Call me Janus. I was sent by Roman to check on his soulmate. And I wanted to check on my soulmate at the same time.”

Logan blinked as he processed the information. The creature knew Roman, so it was most likely the same (or similar) species. And since it was staring at Patton…

Logan grabbed Janus’ hand, giving it his firmest shake. Logan was  _ not  _ submitting to this creature. “My name is Logan. I assume you are Patton’s soulmate, correct?” At Janus’ smirk, Logan tightened his grip. “If you harm him in any way- physically, emotionally, you name it- I will find a way to make the rest of your existence a living  _ hell.” _

Janus laughed as he also tightened his grip.  _ “He’s gonna LOVE meeting you.”  _ Logan remained impassive, knowing that a single sign of weakness could cause his end.

Because Logan was observant, and no way in hell was he letting his friend get hurt.

* * *

Logan was loved.

Logan never really realized that. Sure, his parents said that they loved him, but Logan never really depended on his parents the way most children did. When Logan had a question, he read a book. When Logan was scared, his shadow protected him. When Logan was hurt or lonely, his shadow would comfort him. Most people depended on their parents to raise them. Logan raised himself. Most people saw shadows as a way to find their soulmate. Logan saw his shadow as a friend.

Maybe that’s why at 21 years old Logan confidently (and drunkenly) states that he’s never felt true love. Sure, he’s felt kindness and support (Patton and Virgil) but he’s never felt  _ love.  _ Sure, some nights he has long conversations with his shadow and lets himself believe that the way it twists and turns means that his soulmate can hear him. Sure, he sees Janus a few times every year (Logan knows by this point that Janus is letting himself be seen. Logan never told Patton about meeting Janus and they have yet to officially meet. If Janus wanted to be seen by Patton or not seen by Logan he could) and every time he begs to learn more about his soulmate. But that’s not love (he never says that around Janus. The creature can smell lies like Logan smells Patton’s perfume).

Maybe that’s why he drunkenly kisses a stranger at his 21st birthday party, ignoring the fact that  _ he’s too short  _ and  _ his hold doesn’t feel safe. _

Maybe that’s why when he goes to visit Patton weeks later and sees only a note that says  _ His name’s Janus  _ he crumples it up and throws it away. Maybe that’s why when Virgil texts him the same day simply saying  _ Found my soulmate TTYL,  _ Logan lets hope claw its way through his chest. Maybe that’s why when the sun sets and Logan gets no sign from his soulmate he curls up in a ball and  _ sobs.  _ Maybe that’s why he decides that he can’t wait any longer and he leaves his shitty apartment in the middle of his shitty town and heads towards the shitty forest that he  _ knows  _ is empty but  _ he has to try. _

Maybe that’s why when Logan’s so deep in the forest that he can’t find his way out and the moon hangs high over his head and he hears wolves in the distance he doesn’t get scared or sad. No, Logan gets  _ angry.  _ Angry at the world for rejecting him because of his menacing shadow. Angry at Patton and Virgil for leaving him for their own soulmates. Angry at his soulmate for making him believe for  _ 21 fucking years  _ that he had a  _ chance  _ at being truly happy.

A wolf broke through the tree line, lowly growling as he approached Logan. Logan growled right back, his irritation and heartbreak and  _ anger  _ clouding his judgment. The wolf howled, and Logan  _ screamed.  _ It was an odd feeling. Logan hadn’t screamed in a long time. He trusted his shadow to protect him, so he never screamed in fear. But the way his throat  _ burned _ from his anger was  _ exhilarating. _

The wolf lunged, and it took Logan a few moments to realize that it never reached him. Logan heard a satisfying  _ crunch  _ as the wolf head landed inches from his feet. A small, human-sized shadow covered the ground between him and whatever killed the wolf. Logan looked up and saw a monster of nightmares.

It was at least 8 ft tall, with long, spindly limbs sharpened to a point. Green horns protruded form his head, and his eyes glowed acid green. It was surrounded in an ethereal aura that was all too familiar to Logan. His bloody teeth stretched into a too-wide grin, and Logan did not smile back.

Instead Logan screamed again. But it wasn’t out of fear (never out of fear). It was out of anger, and exhaustion, and relief, and something else that Logan couldn’t name. He lunged at the creature, wrapping his arms around the black and green tunic as he continued to scream. The creature continued to smile, using his too-sharp claws to hold onto Logan’s back. And Logan  _ broke.  _ He started to sob, losing the ability to stand as he leaned further into the creature’s chest.

They stayed there for almost an hour, Logan sobs being the only sound in the vicinity. Eventually, the creature spoke up. “It’s nice to finally hold you, Logan.” Logan continued to stay silent, burrowing his face into the creature’s chest. “My name is Remus. I know that it hurts, but you weren’t ready until now. I wanted to come get you the moment I saw your shadow, I swear. But I’ve always been there, even though ya couldn’t hear me. And I promise I won’t leave ya ever.”

Logan felt himself smile as he relaxed further into the creature’s _his soulmate’s_ hold, listening to Remus babble out apologies and promises. Logan allowed himself to finally _feel._

Because even though this was the first time they touched, Logan knew this wasn’t the first time they’d met. Remus had always been there to support Logan, even if he was hiding in Logan’s shadow. He was always there, and even though Logan was hearing him for the first time, Logan knew that he was in love with Remus.

And as they separated and Remus asked if Logan was okay, Logan let himself admit it. “I love you.”

And Remus repeated him, with no doubts or uncertainty. Because even though Logan refused to believe it before now…

Logan was  _ loved. _


	4. Day 4: Angels & Demons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I need help. I currently have 2 different ideas for a future chapter. One is a Thomas POV, the other is a Virgil POV. Neither have any pairings. Please pick for me, I can't make a decision to save my life.
> 
> This chapter is a lot shorter than the others for a reason. I'm planning on continuing this story at a later date. If you have any suggestions, let me know. Here's how the demons and angels work in this universe:  
> Demons absorb a small amount of someone’s characteristic and intensify the characteristic in exchange (ex: a joy demon would steal a small amount of your joy, leaving you in a slightly depressive mood for a few hours. Then, the feeling of joy would be intensified for the next week). Angels simply absorb the characteristic and reimburse the human through a small amount of luck or knowledge. If the angel consumes too much of a characteristic, said characteristic might disappear forever. The light sides are demons of Logic, Positive Creativity, and Morality. The dark sides are angels of Honesty, Positive Creativity, and Bravery. Even though Virgil is not in this chapter, my intention is for him to become a fallen angel.
> 
> This is a Thomas POV with no current pairings. I hope you enjoy :)

Thomas wiped the sweat off of his forehead as he continued to chant. If you had told 17-year-old Thomas that he would summon a Demon, he would’ve laughed in your face. But here he was, on the night before his 30th birthday, attempting to summon a demon. Or three. Thomas wasn’t sure how far he was willing to go.

Suddenly, dark blue smoke formed in the middle of the summoning circle. Thomas quickly backed away, knowing that he would get trapped in the circle with the demon if he stayed. When the smoke finally settled, Thomas was surprised by how  _ human  _ the creature looked. It reminded Thomas of one of his college professors: short brown hair, a button-down navy polo, form-fitting blue jeans, a pair of glasses and a tie. But there were some things about it that were decidedly not human, mainly the way its body seemed  _ stretched.  _ It was like someone took every bone in its body and made each one just a hair too long. The result made every bone slightly more pronounced and every limb longer than what would be seen as normal. If Thomas had seen the creature in any other setting, he would stare for a second before convincing himself that it’s just a slightly malnourished individual. But in this setting? If Thomas hadn’t already accepted the consequences, he would’ve been terrified.

The creature cleared its throat. “Salutations, mortal. Why have you summoned me? It has been many decades since a proper summon was made. We demons had assumed that humans had forgotten about us.”

Thomas took a deep breath as he chose his words carefully. Luckily, Thomas had specifically chosen the Demon of Logic, which wasn’t known to use a human’s words against them. Still, he couldn’t be too careful. “My ancestors used to summon you for personality enhancements. I wish to form a similar deal.”

The demon stared at him for a few moments before speaking. “Ah, yes. The Sanders Clan. Made their first deal in 1302, when they were accused of witchery and treason to the current patriarchy for teaching their wives and daughters to read, write, and have a voice in politics. William Sanders gave me his life so that his family could continue to pursue knowledge without public backlash. The only clan that I gave access to personally summon me, though it has been over a century since I last made a deal with your clan.” It tilted its head to the side, and Thomas resisted the urge to shudder. The demon’s movements were almost robotic, inhumanly still yet quickly moving without prompt. “Your ancestors traded a few hours of limited intelligence in exchange for several days of enhanced logic. You stated that you wish to form a ‘similar’ deal, implying that you wish to change something about the deal.”

Thomas shuddered. “Kind of? My purpose for the deal is different than my ancestor’s purposes.”

The demon’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, which was the most emotion that it had shown so far. “Your ancestors originally made the deal so that they could converse with each other and make better decisions for their clan. Over time, the Sanders Clan grew smaller and separated into smaller clans, so the deals were made by parents to help make decisions for their families.” It stared at Thomas for a few more moments, and for a second Thomas thought that it was staring into his soul. “Your grip on your elbow tightened. That is a sign of stress or uncomfortableness. Your grip tightened when I said ‘each other’ and ‘families.’ You’ve said ‘ancestors’ instead of ‘family’ this entire time. This, combined with the fact that you are the first Sanders to summon me in over 100 years, implies that you are the last living member of the Sanders Clan. Or, the last living member that still practices the ways of old. You also performed this ritual alone, which is not only dangerous for a first-time summoner, but also defies the purpose of your ancestor’s deals. So tell me, child of Sanders,” The demon had an odd gleam in its eyes as it spoke. “What was your purpose for summoning me?”

Thomas stood there for a moment, watching as the demon accurately predicted Thomas’ life story from a handful of vague sentences. This demon already knew most of the story, and it wasn’t like it could leave the circle, right? “My name is Thomas Sanders. My parents died when I was young and I lived with my grandfather. I was going through his things a few weeks ago and stumbled upon this book of rituals.” Thomas gestured towards the book in his hands, still opened on the summoning spell. “You were correct in assuming that I am the last Sanders. I have no family to converse with, and my friends would not be happy with the thought of making a deal with a demon. But that is not why I summoned you.” Thomas took a deep breath and used the last of his courage to voice what had been on his mind for a long time. “I don’t know who I am.”

The demon seemed genuinely shocked. “I don’t understand.”

Thomas continued on, barely registering that the demon had spoken. “I mean, I know my name but not my identity. I know my job but not my purpose. I was told to list a set of goals for myself in college and I couldn’t think of anything beyond the generic ‘get a good job and husband’ shtick. How am I supposed to accomplish anything if I don’t even know who I am?”

There were several moments of silence. Thomas felt his cheeks heat up as he realized how embarrassing that was. He was about to apologize when the demon spoke up again. “I’ve never been given such a request. I don’t believe that I am capable of such a fate.” Thomas visibly deflated at that. Of course it wouldn’t be able to help him. Thomas was so pathetic that not even a  _ demon  _ could-

“At least, not on my own.”

Thomas’ head shot up, making eye contact with the demon. It seemed to be both irritated and smug. “What?”

The demon smirked. “You wish to learn more about who you are as a person, right? The only solution that could be achieved by a demon would be to have said demon absorb some of your characteristics, similar to the deals your ancestors made. It would still be  _ your  _ characteristic, it would just be represented through the body of a demon. It would give you an outsider’s perspective on how you behave and think.” It sighed. “Unfortunately, I am only the Demon of Logic. I could only absorb and therefore represent the ‘Logical’ side of you. In order for you to truly realize who you are as a person, you would need to see multiple ‘sides’ of your personality. My fellow…  _ associates  _ would gladly assist us in this endeavor.”

“So I would do the same thing my ancestors did, but I would talk to you guys instead of other people?”

“Precisely.”

Thomas bit his lip. “Wouldn’t I have to give something up in return?”

The demon had a new light in its eyes as it smiled. “That’s the best part. Since we are temporarily absorbing our designated characteristic, you are already completing your half of the contract.”

Thomas stood there for a moment, pondering the demon’s offer. This was what he had wanted, right? A way to figure out who he is as a person? “Can I have a day to think about it?”

The demon nodded. “Of course. Here, take this.” The demon waved its arm and a dark blue stone appeared, floating at the edge of the summoning circle. “Since you have already summoned me once, you need not repeat the ritual. Simply hold the stone and say my name three times- that should provide enough intent to summon me. The stone also serves as a form of protection, if you feel threatened by me. I cannot intentionally harm anyone touching the stone.”

Thomas grabbed the stone, watching as it pulsed bright blue. Smoke started to form around the demon’s legs. “Wait!” Thomas shouted. “What’s your name?”

The demon seemed to ponder the question as the smoke rose around its knees. “I assume my true name would be difficult to say in human tongue.” The smoke rose around its neck as it smiled. “Call me Logan.”

Just as the smoke covered the top of the demons head, it immediately dissipated. And with that, Logan was gone.


	5. Day 5: Post-Apocalypse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus gets injured while running away from a zombie hoard. Janus tends to his wounds, and they make a new friend.  
> Janus POV, Dukeceit with Creativitwins and familial Moxiety

“What on earth were you thinking!?!”

Remus smiled, completely ignoring the large gash in his arm. “They were after me! And I had to get back to the love of my life!” He waggled his eyebrows, and Janus barely resisted the urge to smack him.

“Why didn’t you go  _ around  _ the barbed wire fence? You knew where the entrance was!”

“Because it was quicker to go  _ over  _ the fence, duh. And so much more  _ fun.  _ I felt like I was in an action-horror movie!” He pumped his arms into the air, completely ignoring his injury.

Janus sighed, moving to grab the first-aid kit. “And why didn’t you wear your jacket? You know how difficult it is for zombies to bite through that thing. And you probably wouldn’t need stitches right now if you had worn it.”

Remus pouted. “Because you were sleeping with it! And if I’d woken you up you would’ve convinced me to stay.”

“Yeah, because there  _ definitely  _ weren’t over 300 zombies in the area!”

“You know I would do it again in a heartbeat!” Remus’ smile was completely gone (was it ever truly there in the first place?) and Janus sighed as he directed Remus to sit on the nearest tree stump. They stood in silence for several minutes as Janus tended to Remus’ injury. For the first half of the procedure, there were no sounds beyond Remus’ quiet hissing when Janus tugged too harshly on a stitch.

After most of the wound was closed, Janus spoke up. “You know he’s probably dead.” He kept his eyes trained on the stitches. He didn’t need to look up to know what expressions lied on Remus’ face. They’ve had this conversation dozens of times, after all.

Remus sighed. “I know. But if there’s even the smallest chance that Ro’s alive, I’m gonna find him.” Janus offered no sympathy. He knew that would only fuel the fire. “I can’t lose him, Jan. Not again.”

Janus remained silent as he tended to Remus’ wound. As he finished stitching and moved on the bandaging, Janus let his mind wander. It’s been almost 3 years since the outbreak started. Janus and Remus were just friends at the time. Remus and Roman (Remus’ twin brother) had gotten into an argument right before Roman moved across the country. After the outbreak started, Remus had made it his goal to find Roman. A difficult goal, especially since the zombies had multiplied overnight, making it impossible to travel on road or through cities. But Remus never gave up. So here they were, over 2,000 miles away from home, searching for any signs of life while barely surviving themselves.

Once Janus had Remus completely patched up, they packed up to leave. The scent of Remus’ blood would eventually attract zombies. It would be best to travel as far as possible before setting up camp for the night.

They walked for around 6 hours, talking about whatever topic came to mind. Well, it was more of Remus bringing up a random topic and Janus bringing up different counterarguments. They eventually made camp down by a stream in the middle of the woods. The sun was close to setting as Janus collected wood to start a fire. Remus moved deeper into the forest, likely searching for deer or rabbits. Janus quickly set up the fire, dragging a fallen tree nearby to use as a bench. Just as Janus was starting to wonder what was taking Remus so long, he heard a rustle from behind him. “Finally decide to show up, Remus? Did some sort of poisonous or toxic creature distract you?” He turned around to see someone that was decidedly  _ not  _ Remus.

Crouching in the thick foliage was a child, no older than 6. He had long brown hair and oversized black hoodie. His hair had multiple braids running through it, but it had obviously been several days since they were put in, judging from the multiple twigs and knots that Janus could see. Large brown eyes fearfully stared into Janus’ soul.

Janus slowly moved to sit on the log behind him. It would be better if the child believed he wouldn’t run up and grab him. “Hello, little one.” Janus’ voice was much softer now, and he noticed how the child appeared nervous but didn’t flinch. “My name is Janus. What’s yours?” The child didn’t answer, instead looking over at the decently-sized fire. “Would you like to join me? My partner should be here soon, and he’ll have food for us to cook and eat.” The child glanced between Janus and the fire, seemingly weighing his options. “If it makes you more comfortable, I promise I won’t get off of this log unless absolutely necessary. You needn’t be afraid. Neither my partner nor I would ever harm a child.”

The child weighed his options for a few more moments before stepping forwards. He slowly approached the fire, not taking his eyes off of Janus. Once he was in grabbing range and Janus hadn’t reached out for him, the child’s entire body seemed to relax. Janus watched as the child winced and pulled a stick out of his hair. “Would you like some assistance with that?” The child looked up at Janus, his shoulders tense again. “I could clean and rebraid your hair, if you want me to.” The child stared at him for a few moments before slowly approaching. After a few more minutes of coaxing, the child was soon sitting in Janus’ lap, watching the fire as Janus fixed his hair.

For once, Janus was grateful that the virus killed off kids rather than infecting them. He could bash in the face of a 30-year-old zombie any day (he usually did so daily). But if he had seen this child running after him, bloody and rotting? Janus didn’t know what he would do.

The child winced as Janus pulled out a stubborn stick. “My apologies.” Janus murmured softly. “I’m afraid it’s been many years since I last dealt with long hair.” The child seemed to relax at Janus’ tone, so Janus kept talking. “I’m surprised that you managed to find this campsite, much less approach us. You must be very brave, child.” The child muttered something under his breath. “What did you say?”

“m not brave, ‘m just Virgil.”

Janus smiled softly as he worked on braiding Virgil’s hair. “Well, Virgil. I feel like you not seeing what I’m seeing. I see a strong child who faced his fears and did what he had to do to survive. What do you see?”

Virgil’s started shaking, and it took Janus a moment to realize that he was  _ crying.  _ “They said I couldn’t do anythin’ ‘cause ‘m small.” Janus started to rub the child’s back as he shook more. “I thought I could do it on my own but I can’t! I miss Uncle Lo and his facts. I miss Uncle Ro and his songs.  _ I miss my Papa!” _

The child was sobbing by this point. Janus turned Virgil around so he could bury his face in Janus’ chest. Janus rubbed small circles into Virgil’s back as he cried. “There there.” He whispered. “It’s alright. We’ll find your Papa.” Janus did not like to make such claims. He never did so with Remus with his quest to find Roman, so why should he do so with Virgil?

Maybe it was because of the way Virgil relaxed after he’d said it. Maybe it was because Virgil was just a child, and hopefully forget the promise. Maybe it was because Janus didn’t want this kid to grow up an orphan. But it didn’t matter, because he’d already said it.

Once the kid stopped crying, turned back around so that he continued facing the fire. Janus smiled as Virgil leaned back so that he was laying against Janus’ chest. They stayed like that for several minutes before they heard more rustling from the other side of the fire. Virgil seemed to see the person’s face before Janus did. Instead of burying himself into Janus, like he’d expected, Virgil instead jumped out of Janus’ lap. He quickly ran around the fire, shouting in relief. “Ro! Ro! R- oh.”

Janus kept his eyes on Remus, who was staring at the child with a carefully blank expression. Before he could potentially frighten the child, Janus spoke up. “Virgil, I would like you to meet Remus, my boyfriend. Remus, this is Virgil. I was hoping we could watch over him until he is reunited with his father.”

Remus’ face went through a myriad of emotions before sticking with happy. For once, Janus was grateful for Remus’ obsession with theatre. It made him an amazing actor, after all. “Of course! There’s always room for one more!” He reached down to poke Virgil’s belly, and Janus was surprised to hear the child giggle. Remus stood back up and offered Janus the deer carcass he’d hunted earlier. “Sorry it took so long. I spotted two giant spiders mating in the woods. The female bit off the male’s head!”

Virgil mumbled something as he made his way back to Janus. “What was that, Virgil?”

“...spiders are cool.”

Remus’ smile became less forced. “I’ll take you to see them tomorrow.”

They sat in relative silence as Janus worked to prepare the deer meat. Remus had already drained it, thankfully, so Janus mainly needed to skin it. Janus watched out of the corner of his eye as Virgil attempted to scoot closer to him. “Would you like something, Virgil?”

Virgil seemed surprised that Janus had called him out. “Nothing!”

Janus internally sighed. It would take a while for Virgil to fully come out of his metaphorical shell. “Do you know how to skin a deer, Virgil?” The child shook his head. “Would you like to learn how?”

Virgil suddenly found his shoes extremely interesting. “I’m not allowed to touch knives.”

“I didn’t ask that.” Virgil’s head shot up. “I asked if you wanted to learn how to skin a deer.” Virgil nodded frantically, and Janus barely stopped himself from smirking. “Alright, come closer and I’ll show you how.”

Virgil sat in Janus’ lap as he carefully removed the deer’s skin. After a few minutes of explanation and demonstration, he handed Virgil the knife. He kept his hands on Virgil’s the entire time, and there were luckily no injuries from the experience. They lost a little bit of meat from where Virgil cut too deep, but it wasn’t too bad for his first time with a knife. While Janus cooked the meat, Remus told Virgil whatever stories popped into his mind. Janus was glad that Remus kept the stories PG, and was surprised that Virgil preferred some of Remus’ darker tales.

After a few more hours of eating and storytelling, Virgil let out a yawn. Janus smiled. “Are you tired?” Virgil nodded, his eyes already starting to close. “Then we’ll wake you in the morning. Sleep tight, Virgil.”

Once the two of them were sure that Virgil was asleep, Remus started whispering. “Okay, what the fuck is going on!?”

Janus sighed, making sure to keep his voice down. “From what I’ve gathered, Virgil and his father travel with your brother and a third adult that goes by ‘Lo.’ A few days ago, one of them told Virgil that he couldn’t help them because he’s too young. Wanting to prove them wrong, he ran away and found our fire.”

Remus was in deep concentration. “So Roman IS alive.”

Janus nodded. “Possibly. If he is, than he is most likely nearby, searching for Virgil.”

Remus nodded before looking over at Virgil. “I don’t know why they wouldn’t let him help.”

Janus sighed. “He  _ is  _ rather young, Remus.”

Remus waved him off. “I know, I know. And before all of this shit happened, I would’ve agreed. He’s way too young to handle knives or fire. But we’re not  _ living  _ anymore. We’re  _ surviving.  _ And this kid needs to learn how to survive in case he’s on his own again.”

“And I perfectly agree.” They sat there for another hour as the fire started to dwindle. Remus offered to take first shift, so Janus kissed him goodnight before laying down next to Virgil. And if Janus’ heart melted a bit when Virgil grabbed the front of Janus’ shirt in his sleep?

Well, no one had to know about that, did they?


	6. Day 6: Hospital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was going to be much longer but I realized that I'm leaving in 10 minutes so here you go! I'll definitely be coming back to this one, I have a lot of ideas for it.
> 
> I have no opinions on hospitals or hospital staff, this was just my interpretation for this fic. I'm basing all of Virgil's symptoms and progression of illness off of my best friend Amelia, who was diagnosed with Leukemia at 17. She is now perfectly fine and healthy, and I am basing Virgil's progression off of hers.
> 
> Summary: Virgil is a teenager diagnosed with Leukemia. Patton is his new nurse. Virgil+Remus+Janus friendship, Thomas is Virgil's Dad, slightly parental moxiety

Virgil numbly sat in his hospital bed, trying to read the first few lines of his book. Everything had gone to shit in just a few hours. Just a few days ago, he was having the time of his life. Doing dumb shit with Janus and Remus, helping Dad with his newest video, whatever he wanted. Now he has needles in his skin and a death sentence over his head.

_ Cancer. _

Virgil still didn’t believe it. Sure, he’d been getting more headaches, but that was from stress and overworking himself. The lightheadedness? The teen assumed that he was anemic, like Janus. Extreme fatigue? He was currently getting over a cold. But no, all it took was passing out in the middle of game night and one hospital visit to seal his fate.

_ Leukemia.  _ Virgil barely even  _ felt  _ sick. A part of him laughed at the irony of the situation. Virgil was extremely antisocial and extremely sarcastic. Just yesterday, Virgil joked that he’d rather hide under the blankets and never talk to anyone ever again. Now, his dream came true. Since Virgil was still getting over his cold, he couldn’t leave his room and interact with other patients. Since Dad, Remus and Janus were also in contact with the illness, they weren’t allowed to visit. So Virgil was alone in his hospital bed. Alone with nothing but a few books and his dark thoughts. He couldn’t even text anyone since he broke his phone last week.

Virgil sighed, laying back to stare at the ceiling. The doctor had said that he’d live. Hell, he even said that Virgil would be out of the hospital before Christmas. But right now, in mid-January, it felt more like a death sentence.

* * *

The first few days felt like pure torture. He finished all of his books, he still couldn’t leave his room or receive visitors, and the nurses wouldn’t talk to him. Part of Virgil understood why. He didn’t look very friendly; too-pale skin, shaggy black hair, and naturally aggressive-looking features. It didn’t help that Virgil still wore his dark eyeshadow and giant headphones. But it still hurt. Sure, Virgil was 16, but he was still a  _ child.  _ That’s why he’s on a children’s floor. He needed  _ someone  _ to talk to!

Virgil’s saving grace arrived at the beginning of the second week, in the form of Patton. Patton was rotated in to be one of Virgil’s day nurses, since the previous one just went on maternity leave. Virgil had been surprised to see someone new walk into his room.

The man had given him a small wave. “Hey, Kiddo! I’m Patton, your new nurse.”

Virgil hadn’t spoken at the time, just giving a small nod in acknowledgment. He watched with rapt attention as Patton moved to mess with the monitors and IV bags. Virgil didn’t understand what any of it did, but he still wanted to watch. He felt… upset as Patton didn’t speak again. Virgil didn’t understand why that affected him so much. He was used to adults (other than his father) ignoring him. Hell, none of the other nurses had even told Virgil their names! Why should this one’s silence upset him?

Virgil didn’t know what was going through Patton’s head at the time. Maybe he could see how upset Virgil was? Or maybe he’d just been mustering his confidence this entire time? Either way, the nurse chose that moment to speak up.

“Why do fish live in saltwater?”

Virgil looked up from Patton’s hands to his face. He tilted his head to the side. What kind of question was that? Virgil doesn’t know. He barely passed his biology class. Why did Patton choose  _ that  _ of all things to ask-

“Because pepper makes them sneeze!”

Virgil blinked slowly, fully registering what the man had said. He couldn’t stop himself from snorting after that. Ten minutes of silence and he starts the conversation with a pun?

Patton seemed pleased with his response. “How do you get an astronaut’s baby to sleep?”

Virgil tilted his head again, a small smile on his lips.

Patton paused for dramatic effect before shouting “You rocket!”

Virgil started laughing at that one. For a moment, it felt like he was at home, sitting on the counter as his dad told corny jokes. He’d usually snort and roll his eyes but sometimes a punchline would catch him by surprise and he’d be clutching his stomach in laughter.

It wasn’t until Patton’s thumb brushed against his cheekbone that Virgil realized that he stopped laughing and was now crying. Virgil let out a sob as Patton attempted to comfort him. It wasn’t fair! Virgil hadn’t done anything wrong. So why did the world decide to screw him over? Why take him away from his dad, just to give him a person who reminded him of memories he couldn’t recreate?

Virgil then heard humming. It was soft, almost as soft as the airconditioning in the room, but Virgil immediately latched onto the sound. He slowly calmed down, trying to focus on the tune playing in his ear. It wasn’t until Virgil stopped crying that he realized that the humming was coming from  _ Patton.  _ Patton, the nurse that was probably scared of Virgil. Patton, who told corny jokes to make Virgil laugh. Patton, who comforted Virgil instead of ignoring him or finding someone else to take care of him. Patton, the first person in this god-forsaken hospital to actually care about how Virgil felt.

Virgil offered Patton a shaky smile. “Sorry for that. I’m Virgil.”

Patton smiled in return. “Sweety, there’s nothing to be sorry about. You’re probably overwhelmed, right?” Virgil nodded. “That’s okay. It’s okay to be angry or sad or overwhelmed. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

They sat there for a few more minutes, Virgil almost forgetting about the hellhole around him. Patton eventually got up to (probably) leave and Virgil yelled before he could stop himself. “Please stay!” Patton turned to look at him, and Virgil blushed. “I mean, if you want to. It’s just- no one talks to me here, and- and I-” He frowned, trying to force the words out.

Patton smiled. “I understand, Kiddo. I’ve gotta go check on the other kids, but I’ll come back after, okay? Then we’ll talk as long as you’d like.”

Virgil smiled. For the first time since diagnosed, Virgil started to feel hopeful.  _ Maybe things won’t be so bad after all. _


	7. Day 7: Childhood Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan and Patton are childhood friends. Patton’s (now ex)husband cheated on him. After getting divorced, Logan pays Patton’s ex a visit. He has a few things to say.  
> Logan POV, One-sided Logicality with Patton/OC and familial Analogicality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hm, I need a douchebag OC for Patton to marry. Let’s see here *Pulls out Jacob Smith from Is Thomas a Bad Person?* Perfect.  
> Ready to cry today? I am!

Logan sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day. It’s been the most stressful month of his life. But it was necessary. Now, Patton was finally free from Jacob.

Logan wished that he had seen it sooner. Jacob had always seemed to be perfect for Patton (almost  _ too  _ perfect). He was charming, charismatic, and had so many common interests with Patton. Logan had always been suspicious about Jacob, but Patton had always brushed it off as paranoia and over-protectiveness.

Logan could still remember the day they met. January 6th. The first day of Junior year after the winter holidays. Jacob had transferred to their school that day. He and Patton had met in an assembly meeting and it was love at first sight. At least, that’s what Patton said it was. And at the time, Logan begrudgingly agreed. Logan and Patton had been friends since they were 5, but Jacob seemed to be the only person who could make Patton’s eyes light up the way they did.

Logan shook his head, trying to force those memories out of his head. They weren’t important anymore. Not after what Jacob had done. Jacob had taken his blissful 10-year relationship with Patton and reduced it to ash.

Patton had arrived home early with Virgil (their adopted son and Logan’s pride and joy. 8-year-old Virgil was such a sweetheart, and he was so smart and thoughtful) one evening to find Jacob sleeping (Logan winced at the irony of that phrase. They were definitely wide awake if Patton’s descriptions were anything to go by) with another man. Patton had confronted Jacob, who then slapped Patton and threatened to kill Virgil if he told anyone. Luckily for them, Virgil had decided to record the entire thing on his phone (Logan now regrets every time he argued with Patton over taking away that phone. Sure, Virgil almost never put it down, but after that day it could be literally glued to Virgil’s hand and Logan wouldn’t bat an eye). He had sent the video to Logan, who called the police.

Now, after weeks of trials and legal shenanigans, everything Logan knew had been flipped on its head. Jacob was sentenced five years in prison for threatening Virgil and hurting Patton. Patton had filed for divorce and won full custody over Virgil (it helped that Jacob didn’t want anything to do with Virgil). And now, everything was finally over. Patton and Virgil were currently staying in Logan’s apartment, Jacob was now in prison, and Logan should feel relieved. The keyword being  _ should.  _ But there was still one thing Logan needed to do.

Logan felt his anxieties build as he went through several procedures and rules. He already knew what to do. He already knew what to say. But as he sat in the metal chair, staring into the eyes of the man who had hurt Patton, Logan felt his throat tighten.

Staring at the man, Logan felt his words crumble away as he was reduced to one question. “Why?”

Jacob laughed. “You’ve gotta be more specific, specs.” Logan winced at the nickname. It was a name that Jacob started back when they were in high school. Patton and Virgil were the only people that didn’t call him either ‘specs’ or ‘Mr.Sanders.’ “Are you askin’ why I hit Pat? Or why I threatened the kid? Or maybe why I cheated?”

Logan shook his head. “No, I already know those answers. If you don’t remember, I have several degrees in psychology. I knew you never cared about Virgil. I suspected since day 1 that you never cared about Patton. But that’s where my question comes in.” Logan straightened his tie, attempting to gather his courage. “Why did you drag him along for so long? Why did you let him love you for ten years if you never felt anything for him? Why did you marry him and adopt a child together if you never intended on being faithful? Why did you abuse the love that he gave you?”

Jacob stared at Logan for a few moments. Logan stared back, getting more anxious with every passing second. Jacob seemed to find what he was looking for as he smirked. “I’ll answer with my own question: why did you never tell Patton?”

Logan blinked. “Excuse me?”

Jacob laughed. “Okay Mr. Psychology Major, I’m gonna dissect you for a minute. You’ve known Patton for almost your whole life. Patty used to say that the two of you were like brothers. You’ve never been in a relationship, though you’ve told Patton that you’re gay. You were the best man at our wedding, yet you cried more than Pat did at the ceremony. Every time Patton asked about you settling down, you went back to school for a new degree. You have more diplomas than friends but you have only one friend that matters. You treated Virgil as your own son even though he was your friend’s kid.” Jacob leaned forward, and Logan suddenly gained the urge to punch his teeth in. “So why did you never tell Patton that you’re in love with him?”

Logan glared. “You know why.”

Jacob smirked. “And you  _ should  _ know why I never said anything either. But you don’t, so clarification is needed. Why. Didn’t. You. Tell. Him?”

Logan growled. “Because he was head over heels for you!” Once that was off his chest, Logan couldn’t find himself to stop. “Patton had never shown interest in men before that! And the same day that he comes out as gay, he tells me that he’s in love with the new student! I watched for  _ years  _ while you led him along on a string! I buried myself in my studies as I attempted to forget about my feelings. I had assumed that what I was seeing was a result of my jealousy, but I was obviously mistaken! You never said ‘I love you!’ You never let Patton do anything for himself! Virgil originally assumed that  _ I  _ was Patton’s husband! You never stopped to give them the time of day! They were always a second priority, because you never loved them! So  _ why!?! Why did you take him away from me?!” _

Just then, a guard came up to escort Jacob back to his cell. Jacob smirked. “Time’s up.”

Logan felt a tear fall down his cheek as he watched the man who took everything from him walk away.

* * *

Logan sighed as he walked into his apartment. Virgil sat in the living room, drawing on a notepad. Logan smiled, moving to sit next to him. “Salutations, Virgil. What are you drawing?”

Virgil looked up and smiled. “I wanted to draw flowers for Dad!”

Logan looked at the drawing. It was quite impressive. Several types of flowers were drawn at different angles. If he didn’t know, Logan wouldn’t have believed that it was drawn by an 8-year-old.  _ He’ll definitely be accepted to any art school he’d like.  _ “Very impressive. I’m sure your dad will appreciate it. Speaking of your father, do you know where he is?”

Virgil frowned. “He’s sleeping.”

Logan nodded. Patton had been sleeping more and more often as of late. They would have to look into that soon. Patton had always shown signs of depression, but the divorce might have been the tipping point, and Logan didn’t want to risk anything.

“Lo?”

Logan looked over at Virgil, who had put his sketchpad down. He made grabby hands, and Logan maneuvered himself to allow Virgil to sit in his lap. Virgil sat so that he was facing Logan and wrapped his arms around Logan’s neck. He settled his head on Logan’s shoulder as Logan wrapped his arms around Virgil’s back to support him.

They sat there for several moments before Virgil spoke. He was extremely quiet, but Logan could still hear it perfectly. “I wish you had been my Papa instead of Jacob.”

Logan felt another tear slide down his cheek as his grip on Virgil tightened. “Me too, Virgil. Me too.”


	8. Day 8: Superheroes/Supervillains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman is the popular superhero known as "the prince." One day he saves Virgil, a civilian that seems immune to his charms… or is he?  
> Prinxiety Hercules/Megara sort of relationship.

Roman sighed as he surveyed the city from his position in the sky. Nothing had happened tonight, not even a petty bank robbery. He’d been patrolling for the past 5 hours, and he wanted nothing more than to go home and watch some Disney movies. But no, superhero  _ The Prince  _ is always there when people need him. So here he is, flying several hundred feet above the street, attempting to find something remotely interesting.

_ Grey skies, grey building, grey roads, grey costume. I least I match the theme of bleh.  _ Roman hated the color of his super-suit. It was originally a bland charcoal grey outfit that he’d worn back when he was just a common vigilante. After a while, he gained recognition and his signature style of boring grey. By that point, he had no choice but to wear varying shades of grey. But wearing grey did have its perks. Mainly that it was nearly impossible to spot him in the sky or at night.

_ Grey, grey, purple, grey- wait, purple?  _ Roman focused on the spec of purple walking down the street. No one was out this late at night, not with how high the current crime rate was. Roman watched as the man in the purple hoodie made his way through the city. Roman decided to follow him for three reasons:

  1. Since he was out so late at night, the man was most likely about to perform some nefarious scheme (that, or he was a helpless civilian making his way home)
  2. This was the first person Roman had seen all night, and he was extremely bored
  3. Roman is extremely gay, and this purple-clad stranger is _very_ attractive



As the guy continued to walk, Roman started to create nicknames for him. While he could always stick with the generic  _ Purple  _ or  _ Stranger,  _ he wanted to give this guy a rememberable nickname. Might as well try and guess the guy’s personality while he’s at it.

The guy obviously knew these streets well, as he never checked street signs or looked at his phone for directions. He walked with an odd air of confidence for someone who looked like he weighed 120 soaking wet (soaked hoodie included). He appeared dangerously thin underneath the swaths of fabric. He bobbed his head to whatever was playing inside his overly large headphones. He didn’t seem to have a destination in mind as he walked aimlessly down the street-  _ hold on, did he just flip a coin?  _ Roman watched as the guy flipped a coin before turning right at the next split in the road.

Okay, so the guy was walking for the fun of it. Judging by the general age, large clothing, and lack of body fat, he’s most likely a poor college student. Not that Roman could say anything better, having just gotten his degree in theater. The man gave Roman a snarky vibe, though not too aggressive. Most likely has some form of social anxiety, but a general lack of care for the world around him. The exact opposite of Roman. Roman decided that the best way to determine this stranger’s new nickname would be to mentally use each nickname and see which one sticks. Yeah, that should work.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from an alleyway and grabbed the back of Surly Temple’s jacket, pulling him out of Roman’s sight. Roman immediately descended until he was on top of the nearest building. He couldn’t hear what they were saying (curse his love of Disney songs and Musicals at full volume) but he could vaguely see the two of them. Hot Topic’s back was pressed against the wall, a knife poised at his throat. His captor loomed over him, digging the knife deeper into his skin. The man whispered something into Brad Pittiful’s ear, and Roman watched as his beautiful brown eyes went wide with fear.  _ Now that won’t do at all. _

Roman dropped down from the roof, landing right behind Marilyn Morose’s captor. Roman tsked. “And for once I thought I’d have a peaceful night.”

The stranger turned around suddenly, completely forgetting about J. D-lightful. Roman resisted the urge to roll his eyes.  _ Such an amateur.  _ The man immediately ran at Roman, knife poised for the kill. Roman grabbed the man’s wrists and easily twisted him until his back (and hands) were facing Roman. He increased the pressure on the knife-holding hand slightly. The man let out a silent scream at the pain and dropped the knife. Roman chuckled before swiftly hitting a pressure point in his neck, knocking the fiendish villain out.  _ Super Strength: 10 million, Bad Guys: 0.  _

Roman dropped the guy onto the ground and pocketed the knife before turning to Negative Nancy. All traces of fear were gone now, replaced with cool indifference. Still, Roman couldn’t stop himself from asking. “Are you alright, dear citizen?”

Charlie Frown smirked. “I’m fine.” He purposefully gave Roman a once-over that made him hot all over. “So, did they give you a name along with those rippling pectorals?”

Roman fought down a blush as he posed. “ _ The Prince,  _ at your service.” He attempted to keep his voice on the sensual side as he asked, “And your name?”

Doctor Gloom laughed. “I’m sorry, but I’m not one to give my name in the first introduction.  _ Especially  _ to a guy that goes by a pseudonym.”

Roman ignored the jab. “So, what were you doing out here all by yourself? Surely you know how dangerous it is this time of night.”

Count Woe-lof shrugged. “I’m new to this town. Not used to high crime and big cities and hot superheroes.”

Roman smirked. “Then here’s a little bit of advice: don’t walk around at night, go to Venny’s for good pizza, and bring around at least  _ something  _ to protect yourself.”

Stormcloud ( _ that… could work _ ) laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He looked down at the unconscious mugger. “You should probably take care of him.”

Roman felt himself blush as he coughed. “Right-yes, I should.” He grabbed the man by the back of his shirt. “Will you be alright traveling on your own?”

Stormcloud snorted. “I’m not  _ that  _ weak or defenseless. I can take care of myself. HE just caught me off-guard.” He turned to walk out of the alleyway. “Adios, Princey.”

Roman blushed as his grip on the villain’s shirt tightened. “Farewell, Stormcloud.”

* * *

Virgil sighed as he fumbled with his keys. He shouldn’t have gone walking. He had been told how dangerous these streets were at night, but he’d assumed that people were over-exaggerating. And sure, seeing a man that could rival a  _ god  _ in sheer beauty was a nice bonus, but it wasn’t worth the real cost.

The petty excuse for a thief had  _ recognized  _ him. That was a problem. He specifically moved to the big city to avoid this. How many others recognized him?

Virgil shook his head. He’d have to deal with that in the morning. If anything, enough money or blackmailing will keep most of the city quiet. He already had enough cash to buy out the mayor  _ and  _ the police department after his…  _ conversation  _ with the current mafia boss in town. It wouldn’t be too difficult to rake in a little more cash.

Virgil smiled as he got ready for bed. The so-called “hero” of this town wasn’t too bad. Egotistical yet kind. Aesthetically boring yet the exact opposite personality-wise. Extremely attractive and knows it. Powers of flight and super strength. Should be easy enough to take out.

The last thought left him feeling uneasy. Normally he wouldn’t care about taking out some egotistical hero. But something about this one…

Virgil shook his head again as he settled down in his bed. Virgil Storm, AKA infamous supervillain “Anxiety,” wasn’t ready to face his new nemesis again. With or without the disguise.


	9. Day 9: Royalty (Moxiety)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil is the apprentice of a local baker. He wishes to become a knight in order to repay a debt he believes that he owes King Thomas. His best friend (and crush) Patton tries to dissuade him. Because Patton doesn't want Virgil to know his secret.
> 
> Moxiety, Intrulogical, Roceit, Creativitwins and familial T+J+L+P
> 
> In case anyone is curious about the ages:  
> -Virgil and Patton = 16  
> -Logan and Janus (twins) = 25  
> -Roman and Remus (twins) = 26  
> \- Thomas = 33

“Hello, Vee!”

Virgil looked up at the teenager skipping throughout the bakery. It was early in the morning, hours before sunrise, so the place was empty beyond the two of them. Virgil smiled softly. “Good morning, Pat.” He went back to reading his current book.

Pat read the title. “Swordsmanship for simpletons.” He frowned. “You’re still applying to be a royal knight?”

Vee sighed, closing the book. “Yes, I’m going to become a knight. We’ve already talked about this. I owe the King my life. Becoming a knight is the least I could do to repay my debt.”

Pat sighed. “You know, King Thomas probably doesn’t remember meeting you all those years ago.”

Virgil set the book on a nearby table. “I know, Pat. But it’s the principle of the matter.” There were a few moments of tense silence. “I’m turning 16 in 3 weeks.”

“I know.”

“I’m going to become a knight.”

“I know.”

“Then why do you try and convince me otherwise?”

Pat sighed, taking Virgil’s hand in his. “Vee, you mean the world to me. Believe me when I say the castle isn’t as glamorous as people make it out to be. There are so many wonderful and amazing things that you can do without risking your life on a daily basis.”

Virgil frowned. “I know, but I have to. I need to prove that I deserve my second chance. If not to the King, then to myself.”

Patton sighed. “Alright.” He smiled. “Why don’t we talk about something happier. Like that cute boy that works at the flower shop!”

Virgil snorted. “Cute? That kid’s a disaster waiting to happen. According to the rumor mill, he almost lost his privates to a Venus flytrap.”

The two friends giggled, happy to just be with each other for a short while. But like all good times, this one had to end. Just as the sun began to rise over the horizon, Pat made his leave, promising to visit again the next day.

* * *

Patton sighed as he made his way home. The sun was just starting to rise, so he only had a few minutes before someone noticed his absence. He quickly made his way throughout the town, keeping his hood up to avoid recognition.

When he finally made his way to the castle, Patton made a beeline for the shortest tower. Once he was at its base, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small flute. He played a familiar tune and watched as a rope was thrown out of the window. Patton quickly grabbed the rope and began to climb up the tower. It was an easy climb, mainly because of years of experience. At the top of the rope was Janus, Patton’s mentor and one of Patton’s older brothers.

Janus sighed as Patton entered the tower “You’re late, Patton.”

Patton smiled. “Oh, you would not believe it, Janus. I had the most amazing time!”

Janus smirked. “You always say that, and yet every time you go outside you visit the same place and talk to the same person.”

Patton blushed. “W-well, it’s still a wonderful visit every time!” He ignored the way Janus’ mouth quirked in silent laughter. “And don’t think I don’t see the wrinkled collar and tussled hair! You left to visit Roman to moment I was gone, didn’t you?”

Janus quickly cleared his throat. “Hurry on, breakfast is in a few minutes and we need to look presentable.”

The two quickly made their separate ways to their bedrooms, getting ready for the morning. Once Patton looked less like he’d been outside and more like he’d just woken up, he quickly made his way to breakfast. He made sure to check on Janus and Logan, just to make sure they were on their way to breakfast. Both rooms were empty, but Patton stopped to stare for a moment. Even though the two scholars (and fraternal twins) had identical rooms in terms of layout, their styles were completely different. Logan preferred a clean room with little personality, while Janus preferred a more elegant touch. It was always fun to check in on the two in the mornings. Mainly because their rooms tended to contrast in quite an amusing way, but also because Patton could usually tell if their boyfriends spent the night with them. Janus and Logan always kept their rooms meticulously clean, so little changes made big differences. Janus’ room looked normal, but Logan’s desk was more disorganized than usual. Remus probably pulled Logan to bed before he could clean up for the night.

Patton giggled to himself as he made his way to the breakfast table. Everyone thought that Patton was innocent and naive, but he actually knew a lot more than they did about themselves and the castle around them. Actually, the only person who didn’t think that Patton was just a clueless child was Virgil. Even though Virgil didn’t know anything about Patton, he always treated Patton like he was a mature adult. It helped that Virgil was the only person that Patton let himself act naturally around. That’s the main reason why Patton didn’t want Virgil to become a knight: the second Virgil started working at the palace, he’d learn who Patton is and would start treating him like a child.

Patton shook his head, dispelling those nasty thoughts. Virgil probably wouldn’t be accepted into the ranks, so Patton’s secret should be safe. Right now, Patton didn’t need to think about that. He wasn’t Pat right now. He was Patton.

Patton approached the doors to the dining room and watched as the guards bowed before opening the door. He gave them a quick nod before stepping into the room. He was the last one to show up, apparently. Logan and Janus sat on the left, while Captains Roman and Remus sat on the right. There was a space between Logan and the head of the table that was empty, and Patton sat there. At the head of the table sat Patton’s eldest brother. He gave Patton a soft smile. “Patton, how nice of you to join us.”

Patton blushed. “Sorry, Thomas. I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.” Patton saw Janus’ fingers twitch in the corner of his vision.  _ Lies.  _ Janus was the only one who knew about Patton’s escapades.

Thomas frowned. “I’ll have the head herbalist find something to give you for insomnia. We can delay your morning studies if you need some more sleep.”

Patton shook his head. “I’ll be fine, I promise.”

Prince Patton, fourth in line for the throne, took a bite of his pastry and wished it was one of Virgil’s pastries. Maybe he could hire the baker Virgil worked for. Would that convince Virgil to not become a knight?

Patton took a sip of his juice to hide his frown. It probably wouldn’t work, but anything was worth a try at this point.


	10. Day 10: Pirates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton is an aristocrat who is framed for killing his own parents. Roman offers him asylum aboard his brother Remus’ pirate ship. Creativitwins, best friends Ro+Pat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will definitely be continuing this and it WILL be Intruality and you can't stop me :)

Patton pulled his hood up as he made his way through the city. It was well past sunset, so no one was outside, but it didn’t hurt to be safe. If anyone knew what he was doing, he’d be disowned for sure. God knows his parents have been itching to do that for years.

No one outside of the Heart family knew how much of a disappointment Patton was to his parents. He refused to take up the family business, if only so he didn’t have to treat the workers with the same amount of cruelty and scorn that his father did. He still didn’t have a wife at 30 years old- it didn’t help that he was gay. But he never told his parents that, even though they suspected it. And here he is now, sneaking out in the dead of night to visit a commoner. Someone that his parents would step on in the middle of the street for just  _ looking  _ at them. Someone that Patton trusted more than his own family.

Patton made his way out of the city and towards the beach. There, standing knee-deep in the water, was Roman. Roman was Patton’s best friend of five years. He was the only person Patton had told about his life and his feelings of isolation. In return, Roman had confessed his longing to be out at sea.

“Ro!” Patton ran up to Roman, pulling him into a hug.

Roman laughed, hugging Patton back just as tightly. “Hey, Padre. Glad you could make it.”

Patton looked away sheepishly. “Sorry I’m late. They had had another suitor come by for dinner, so I couldn’t skip.”

Roman frowned. “When are you going to tell them?”

Patton laughed, though he was the opposite of happy. “You know the second I tell them I’m gay they’ll throw me out. I’ll never tell them if I can help it.” He reached under his cloak and pulled out a sack of coins. “Once I’ve snuck out enough money, we’ll buy a boat and finally be free. But we only have enough money for a few months out at sea. We can’t leave on such a small amount.”

Roman sighed, taking the pouch from Patton. “I know.” They’ve been planning for the past year. Patton can only smuggle so much out of the house without drawing attention to himself. He always gives it to Roman for safekeeping, mainly because Patton doesn’t have a good place in his house to hide the money.

Roman pocketed the money and moved back on dry land. “My brother is visiting tomorrow night. I’ll see if he can find us a boat for cheaper than what they have here.” He turned back to Patton, a smirk now on his face. “Now, are you ready to duel?” He reached onto his belt and pulled out two swords. Patton nodded, accepting one of the swords before shifting his stance to mimic Roman’s.

Clashing swords had always been fun. It wasn’t something to be proud of- especially because Patton was an aristocrat using a traditional Pirate’s sword- but it was fun nonetheless. Roman had been teaching him how to fight with a sword once a week for the past 3 years. Their after-sunset meetings were a secret that Patton would hold near and dear to his chest. The thrill of clashing swords, the casual banter tossed between them, the need to win even with no prize- it was exhilarating.

Patton smirked as he cut a line of red against Roman’s leg. A bead of red liquid went down his leg and Roman sighed.  _ First one to draw blood wins.  _ Roman let out a small chuckle. “You’ve been getting better. You might’ve even surpassed me.”

Patton laughed. “No one could surpass you, Ro!” They shook hands and packed their stuff to go back to town.

Roman scoffed. “You’ve been one of my only opponents for the past 7 years. I used to be able to win any fight unchallenged. Now, my brother could hand me my ass in minutes.”

The sun had just fully risen above the town. Patton needed to be at church in less than an hour. “Hey, Ro? Wanna get some food before we part ways?”

Roman laughed. “Sure, Padre. Let’s find us a good stand.” They traveled for a few more minutes before a piece of paper drew in Roman’s attention. “Pat, pull your hood up.”

Patton was confused but he put his hood up anyways. “What? Why-”

Roman pulled him back towards one of the alleys, away from the stalls. Once they were safely hidden, Roman pointed towards the poster on the stall. Patton struggled to read it at this distance, but gasped when he did.

_ WANTED _

_ Dead or Alive _

_ Reward: 300 gold _

_ Patton Heart _

_ Wanted for Murder and Arson _

Roman put a hand on his shoulder, pulling Patton out of shock. “I’ll go and ask what’s going on, you stay here.” Patton nodded, watching as Roman went to talk to the vendor. He listened to what they were saying.

“Three bread and a bottle of wine, good sir.”

“Hm, got a night planned with the misses, sir?”

“You bet!” The two laughed, and Patton felt his stomach churn at what Roman said next. “Say, isn’t that the heir of the Heart estate? I thought he was just an arrogant prat. What’d he do to end up wanted?”

“Didn’t you hear? The whole house went up in flames last night. They found the late Lord and Lady Heart burned to ash. The bastard’s body was never found. He probably killed ‘em for the money and ran.”

Roman nodded, paying for the food. “I’ll be sure to keep an eye out, then. Good day, sir.”

Roman approached the alleyway with Patton. Patton looked up fearfully. “You know I didn’t kill them! They didn’t love me, but I didn’t want them dead!”

Roman nodded solemnly. “I know, Pat. C’mon, we’ve got a change in plans.”

Patton let himself be pulled along. “Where are we going? There’s nowhere for me to go!”

Roman shook his head. “I told you that my brother is visiting tonight. I’ll cash in a favor for the two of us to live on his ship for a while.”

Patton was confused now. “But your brother’s a Naval officer. I thought the navy didn’t allow civilians on their vessels.”

Roman sighed. “I lied. My brother’s not in the Navy.” He squeezed Patton’s hand as they moved forward. “He’s a pirate.”


	11. Day 11: Farm/Ranch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman is about to spend the summer on the ranch with his family. He might also have a crush in the form of his dad’s new employee, Virgil.  
> Roman POV, Prinxiety with Logicality, Dukeceit and Creativitwins.

“Roman, have you finished packing?”

“Yeah, Dad!” Roman yelled, haphazardly stuffing the rest of his things into his backpack.

“Then come downstairs. I’m about to call your father and brother.”

“K, on my way down!” Roman hurried downstairs, where his dad was sitting at the kitchen table. He was struggling with figuring out how to turn on the video call. Roman rolled his eyes fondly.  _ After all these years of video calls and he still struggles?  _ “Here, Dad. I’ll set it up.” His father sighed before handing over the laptop, adjusting his tie as he did so. Roman quickly set up the video chat, and was unsurprised that Remus answered. Roman snorted, “Hey, bro. Helping Papa with the computer?”

Remus smiled. “Yeah, still can’t figure it out after all these calls. I’m guessin’ you had the same struggle with Daddio?”

Roman smirked. “Of course. I swear, one day we’ll find out who we inherited our love of tech from. It definitely wasn’t these two goofballs.”

Dad grunted. “You are both aware that the two of us can hear you, correct?” The twins just laughed.

A voice on Remus’ end cut in. “Lo, let ‘em have their fun!” Remus moved to sit down, and Roman’s other dad was now visible. “Ro, look at you! You’ve gotten so big!”

Roman laughed. “Papa, you saw me a few days ago!”

His Papa smiled. “But every day the two of you get a little bit bigger. It feels like just yesterday the two of you came up to my knee, running around the chicken coops.” He suddenly gasped, and Roman saw his twin tense. “Speaking of growing up,  _ someone’s  _ got somethin’ to say.”

Remus grumbled. “ ‘s not much, really.”

Dad’s head tilted curiously. “Remus, I assure you that whatever you say won’t change our opinions of you. Now, what is making your father practically vibrate in his seat?”

Papa  _ was  _ actually vibrating with excitement, but that wasn’t as important as Remus suddenly shouting. “I have a boyfriend!”

Roman and his dad sat in silence for a moment before congratulating him. Roman eventually laughed. “So, ‘Remus ‘I’ll-never-kiss-anyone-ever’ Sanders’ has a boyfriend.” Roman smirked as Remus blushed. “So, who’s the lucky guy?”

Remus coughed into his hand. “His name’s Janus, he moved here a few months ago and you’ll get to meet him when you get here. That’s all you need to know.”

Roman laughed. “Alright, keep your secrets. I’ll get my information eventually.” They chatted for another 20 minutes before discussing what would happen in the morning.

“Yes, Roman and I will be leaving at precisely 10 AM tomorrow morning. I’ve booked hotels in both Ohio and Missouri, and we should reach the farm by 3 PM in three days.”

“Oh, I can’t wait to have you down on the farm again! We’ve got new chickens, and you can meet Janus, and-”

“Patton, calm down. You’ll fall out of your seat if you keep bouncing.”

Roman watched as his Papa forced himself to stop bouncing, though his leg was still vibrating. He had a sheepish expression. “Sorry.”

Dad smiled fondly. “You did nothing wrong, Love. I just don’t want you to fall out of your chair and injure yourself again.”

Remus cleared his throat. “As much as I wanna see my dads making virtual goo-goo eyes in front of me.” Their dads blushed, looking away. “The two of you need to get some sleep before you leave tomorrow. We’ll see you in a few days.”

Papa waved to the camera. “Bye Ro! Bye Lo! Love you bunches and bunches!”

Dad smiled softly. “We love you too. We’ll see you soon.”

Roman smiled, ignoring the twist he felt in his gut every time they ended these calls. “Bye, see you in a few days.” He watched as the screen went blank.

Dad cleared his throat. “I was about to order dinner. Is there anything you would prefer?”

Roman smiled, but he knew it didn’t reach his eyes. “Pizza sounds nice.”

* * *

Roman sighed as he collapsed onto his bed. He loved his dad, he really did. But sometimes Roman wished he could hide under the covers and stop existing. Socializing was just too much sometimes.

_ Bzzz. _

Roman looked down at his phone. Remus had sent the usual ‘you up?’ text. Roman snorted. It was times like these that reminded Roman that Remus was just as socially inept as he is. Every night, Remus would ask if Roman was awake. And every night, Roman would say yes, because he’d stay up and wait for their nightly conversation. Even though they lived over 1,500 miles away, they were still just as similar as expected for identical twins. Roman shook his head as he focused on his phone.

_ Ro- (10:48 PM) Aright, spill _

_ Re- (10:48 PM) I don’t know what you’re talking about _

_ Ro- (10:48 PM) You know exactly what I’m talking about _

_ Ro- (10:48 PM) Now spill. All the details _

_ Re- (10:49 PM) GOD that man is the hottest guy I’ve ever met! _

_ Re- (10:49 PM) His name’s Janus Cobra. He’s 6’3” and rich as hell _

_ Re- (10:49 PM) His family moved here back in January. No siblings to speak of. Sorry bro ;) _

_ Ro- (10:50 PM) Papa made it sound like you two were holding hands and confessing like little schoolgirls _

_ Re- (10:50 PM) Hell no! _

_ Re- (10:50 PM) He just saw us kissing each other goodbye and assumed it was our first kiss. _

_ Re- (10:50 PM) We started making out back in March _

_ Re- (10:51 PM) We’ve had sex on almost every part of the farm _

_ Re- (10:51 PM) Except for the horse barn, V’s got a sixth sense about who’s in there _

_ Ro- (10:51 PM) V? _

_ Re- (10:52 PM) Virgil Storm _

_ Re- (10:52 PM) Papa hired him back in February. You’ll like him _

_ Re- (10:52 PM) Disney nerd, sarcastic as hell, calls everyone by nicknames, emo, almost as hot as Jannie _

_ Ro- (10:53 PM) If you say so. He sounds fun, but I’m not sure about the ‘emo’ thing _

_ Re- (10:53 PM) Don’t lie to me. I know you fantasize having a sexy guy sway you to the dark side _

_ Re- (10:54 PM) I’m your brother. You can’t hide that shit from me _

_ Ro- (10:54 PM) Damn you. Using my own thoughts against me _

_ Re- (10:54 PM) It’s my job :) _

_ Re- (10:54 PM) I’ll be sure to introduce you to V when you get here _

_ Re- (10:54 PM) Now get some sleep _

_ Ro- (10:55 PM) Alright. Goodnight Re _

_ Re- (10:55 PM) Night Ro. Don’t let the bedbugs crawl into your ears while you sleep! _

_ Ro- (10:55 PM) Ew _

Roman sighed as he looked up at the ceiling. He started thinking about what he would do once he visited Remus and Papa. Then his mind started to drift back into the past.

Patton and Logan Sanders loved each other more than anything. But Patton’s dream was to live in Kansas on his farm, while Logan’s dream was to teach at his father’s old college in New York. So they split up, and each took a twin with them. They’re still married and in love, just far apart. Logan and Patton call each other every day, and they do family video calls twice a week. Patton and Remus spend the winter holidays in New York, while Roman and Logan spend their summer vacations in Kansas.

Roman yawned.  _ Maybe this ‘Virgil’ will make the summer more interesting. I guess I’ll have to wait and see. _


	12. Day 12: Crime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman is the son of wealthy mafia boss Romulus Prince. He's currently living across the country to pursue art. Roman hasn't told his boyfriend Janus about his family. After almost getting shot in his own apartment, the two learn that they've both kept some serious secrets from each other.
> 
> Roman POV, Roceit with Creativitwins

“Hey, Janus. What time are you getting off today?”

_ “I should be home within the next twenty or so minutes. I hope our date is still on the table. _

“Yep, luckily they didn’t send me any work to take home. I’ve got some wine in the fridge and we could order some Thai later?”

_ “That sounds lovely. I’ll see you soon, dearest.” _

“See you then.” Roman sighed as he pocketed his phone. Tonight was the night he’d tell Janus.

Tell Janus what, exactly? Well, that his name isn’t actually Roman Royale. Roman was actually Roman Prince, son of Romulus Prince. While that wouldn’t mean much to a New York civilian like Janus, it meant a lot to others. Mainly because Romulus Prince is a very powerful mafia boss. Roman had grown up with his father and twin brother in California. Once it became clear that Remus (Roman’s brother) would be the one inheriting the family business, Roman had expressed his desire to have a career in art. Romulus had relented after years of persuasion. So here Roman was, thousands of miles away from home, studying art at a local college with Janus, his boyfriend of four years. Roman trusted Janus with his life by this point, and he felt like it was only right to tell him of his heritage.

But Roman was nervous. This wasn’t something you could just casually bring up in a conversation. Would Janus break up with him? Or call the police on him? The options were endless. The last thing Roman wanted to do was lose Janus.

_ Maybe I could just never tell him. I technically never have to rejoin the family business. We could just live out our lives in peaceful ignorance forever.  _ Roman thought as he unlocked the door to his and Janus’ shared apartment.

Only to feel a gun pressed against the back of his head.

“Drop the bag and get in the house. Now!” Roman felt numb as he followed the order, vaguely realizing that he’d also dropped his phone along with this satchel. His movements felt robotic as he made his way into the house, hearing the man shut the door behind them. The man pressed them into the living room, with Roman’s back still facing him. “Now, where is it?”

“Where’s what?” Roman ignored how flat his tone was. This wasn’t the first time he’d been held at gunpoint, but it was the first time that he didn’t have a definitive chance at escaping.

The man grunted. “The eye! Where. Is. The. Eye?”

Roman was confused. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” There’s nothing in this apartment that even vaguely resembles an eye, and Janus had never mentioned an eye before. What the hell was this guy talking about?

Roman felt the pressure of the gun on the back of his head disappear, but he knew it was still pointed at him. “You Princes think you’re real funny, don’tcha?” Roman tensed at the name, and the man laughed. “What, did you think this was some kind of petty robbery? I know who you are, Roman Prince. And I know you have the eye’s location. So. Where. Is. The. Eye?”

_ BAM! _

Roman heard the man drop to the ground. He slowly turned around to see Janus standing there, pistol in hand. His face was slightly pinched, but his focus wasn’t on the body. It was on Roman. “What the hell?”

Roman tried to console Janus. “I know this looks bad, but I swear I was gonna explain eventually. I don’t even know how they found me.” Roman rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I didn’t want you to find out like this…”

Janus continued to stare at him for a moment before speaking. “ _ You’re Roman Prince?”  _ He sounded like he just guzzled a gallon of the sourest drink to ever exist.

Roman sighed. “Yeah…” Then his head snapped up. “Wait, you know who Roman Prince is?!”

Janus sighed, holstering his weapon. “You’re not the only one that’s been keeping secrets.” He gave the body a once-over before walking towards his bedroom. “Pack your essentials, we need to leave immediately.”

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, the two of them were sitting in the back of someone else’s car. Janus had apparently called in for someone to give them a lift. Roman sighed. “Okay, so you’ve heard my secret, now it’s time to hear yours. How do you know about the Princes?”

Janus stared down at his gloves, refusing to meet Roman’s gaze but still keeping him in his peripheral. “I’m sure you’ve heard of  _ The Sides?” _

Roman nodded. The Sides were an infamous gang around here. They were small, having four known members that weren’t common lackeys, but powerful. It was rumored that the current governor was only elected because the other candidate disagreed with Deceit, the gang’s leader. The Princes didn’t have a lot of information on The Sides (they were on opposite ends of the country) but they had a neutral alliance from Romulus’ brief visits to New York.

Janus sighed. “Then the name  _ Deceit  _ should ring a few bells.”

Roman stared in shock. “Seriously?!” Janus nodded, and Roman laughed. “So the leader of The Sides and the heir of The Princes have been dating for  _ four years  _ and neither of us had any idea.”

Janus smiled. “It would seem that way.” There was a brief moment of silence. “I assume you understand why I kept this a secret.”

Roman nodded. “Yeah, and you know why I did too.” It was too dangerous to bring civilians into their lives. They both had enough targets on their backs already. “So, what happens now? Are we still…”

“Dating?” Roman nodded. “I hope so. I was intending on telling you at a later date. Now that I know that you have experience with  _ this,”  _ he gestured around vaguely. “Potentially continuing our relationship will be much easier.”

Roman leaned over and pressed his lips to Janus’. The kiss was short and sweet, but it still gave him butterflies the same way it did every time. When they pulled apart, Roman sighed. “Thank God. I thought you would wanna break up with me.”

Janus tilted his head. “Why?”

Roman snorted. “Because I’ve haven’t been associated with my family for over five years, and yet someone still found me. Speaking of which, I need to make some calls.” He turned to his phone, frowning at the new crack from where he’d dropped it. He dialed a number that he hadn’t used in years, yet still knew from memory.

_ “Welcome to Tea’s Tease, the best place for gossip and blow jobs! How may I-” _

“Cut it out, Remington.” The person’s tone shifted immediately, going from high pitched and customer-service-y to terrified.

_ “Sorry, Remus! Thought it was a spam caller-” _

“Wrong twin, dumbass.” Roman growled out, already starting to lose his patience.

_ “Roman? OMG, it’s been, like, forever! What’s going on, babes? Get any smokin’ hot man meat?” _

“We’ll talk later, Remy. I need to talk to Dad right now.” The line went silent. “Hello?”

_ “Oh, sweet baby. You don’t know, do you?” _

Roman sighed. “I obviously don’t, now what’s going on?”

_ “Ro… Boss died two weeks ago. He was found shot in his own office”  _ Roman barely stopped himself from gasping. They all knew how serious this line of work was, but Romulus had always seemed… invincible. Roman ignored the sadness welling up in his chest. He’d mourn later.

“Okay, where’s Remus then?” Remus should be the new boss now. It would be a pain trying to get information out of him, but Roman could make it work.

_ “He’s been off the grid for over a month.”  _ That shouldn’t have surprised Roman. Remus was always slipping off the grid for weeks at a time. Only Romulus knew where Remus would run off to. But that, combined with Romulus’ death? That wasn’t good. Roman had thought it was Remus that killed Romulus, but now it couldn’t be. Even if Romulus had done something to anger Remus, it would take a lot to warrant death. And Remus would have done something much messier than a bullet. And why hadn’t Remus come back to run the family? He’d been ecstatic to learn that he was being chosen over Roman. So why continue hiding? Unless…

“Remy, who’s the boss right now?”

_ “I’ll give you two hints: his name starts with a J and you hate his guts.” Jacob Smith.  _ The bastard probably killed Romulus.

“Remy, why didn’t anyone contact me? My address was in the vault.” Romulus had a small vault in his office that held Roman’s address along with several other important members.

_ “The vault was empty when we checked it.”  _ So either Romulus destroyed the information, or Jacob took it to prevent anyone from contacting him.  _ That’s how they found me. _

“Remy, Jacob can’t know that you talked to me.”

Remy snorted.  _ “Of course. You know everyone here hates Jacob’s guts.” _

“Okay, one last question before I hang up. Has anyone been talking about an ‘eye’ of some sort?”

_ “Hmm… Nope, not that I can think of. But I’ll check the rumor mill later.” _

“Okay. If you hear anything about an eye or Remus’ location, call me  _ immediately.  _ I’ll check in later.”

_ “Alrighty, Ro! I’ll get you to spill your tea later. Bye!” _

Roman sighed, dropping the phone in the seat next to him. He started talking to himself. “Let me get this straight-”

Janus snorted. Roman had forgotten he was there “Good luck with that.”

Roman continued. “My Dad’s dead. Remus is missing. Knowing them, along with what that guy back at the apartment was saying, Dad probably knew about the ‘eye,’ whatever it is. He probably told Remus about it too, which is why he hasn’t come out of hiding. Jacob Smith is now head of the family, people are after me, and my boyfriend’s Deceit.” He sighed. “So all I have to do is figure out what this ‘eye’ is, find Remus, avenge my father’s death, and kill Jacob. Sounds simple enough.” He looked over to Janus hopefully. “You’ll help a boyfriend out, won’t you?”

Janus thought for a moment before sighing. “You’re so lucky I love you.” He smiled as Janus continued. “New York has gotten pretty boring lately. I might even bring the other Sides with me for assistance. We can make a vacation out of it.”


	13. Day 13: Rock Band

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton is the most popular boy in school, yet he can’t get the attention of his three crushes. When he learns that they’re all starting a band together, he becomes determined to make their dreams come true.  
> Patton POV, endgame LAMP

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I have two things that I need to say. First of all, I am posting this chapter a few hours earlier than normal because I won't have access to a computer today. So I might not be able to respond to comments until later on tonight.
> 
> Second, you may notice that this is now a part of a series. That is because I have decided to continue most of these fics. Once I have the time (probably early September) I will be continuing these AUs and putting them in this series.

Patton Picani liked to think that he had superpowers. He could sway almost any person to be kind with just a smile. He could ask one question and topple an entire social norm. He could transform a nobody into a somebody with just a few words. It was his superpower, the ability to effortlessly sway the masses.

The truth was… complicated. Or rather, it was a series of scenarios and lessons that gave Patton this ‘superpower.’ The people who gave them to him? His parents, Emile and Remy Picani.

Emile and Remy loved their son very much and taught them everything they knew. This wasn’t a bad thing; Patton soaked up the lessons like a sponge. But the parents each had different things to teach him. Emile taught Patton everything he knew as a therapist so he could avoid conflicts. How to tell what someone’s feeling, what to say when someone’s upset, etc. Remy taught Patton how to grow up in a world turned against him. How to tell the difference between real and fake friends, how to lie with a straight face, how to spot a bully, etc. Emile helped Patton be confident in expressing himself with pastel colors and skirts. Remy helped Patton never lose a game of poker. So before Patton even started elementary school, he knew how to use his ‘superpowers.’

Patton also learned things on his own throughout the years. He learned that bullies were feared but not trusted. He learned that teacher’s pets would tell on you at a moment’s notice. He learned how to control the rumor mill, and which friends would stab him in the back. So in their tiny town with only three elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school, Patton rose to power quickly. But Patton wouldn’t abuse his power. No, Patton tried to make a difference. He offered teacher’s pets protection and popularity in exchange for getting bullies suspended. He kept the rumor mill focused on the popular kids and away from the nobodies that couldn’t protect themselves. He ruined the lives of violent jocks and snotty rich kids with a few words and a disapproving frown. Bullying reached an all-time low, and by the time Patton was in high school he was the ‘friend’ of almost everyone in the city under the age of 21 (and all their parents. Patton was a model citizen, no one could dislike  _ him _ ). 

But there was a cost for Patton’s power. Even though he was technically ‘friends’ with everyone, he didn’t have any  _ actual friends.  _ Everyone  _ thought  _ they were his friend, but after a while, everyone’s faces started to look the same. And even when they did catch Patton’s attention, they were usually too far down the social ladder for Patton to be more than casual acquaintances with.

There were exactly three people that caught Patton’s attention, and they just so happened to be his three crushes.

The first crush came in the form of Roman Prince. Like the name implied, Roman was a Disney Prince in terms of charisma and charm. He was in every school theatre production, and almost always the lead role. He would have been a popular kid, if not for his rivalry against Janice Mayberry. Janice had been at the top of the social ladder just as long as Patton had. She was extremely pretty, and a cheerleader to boot, so not even Patton’s influence could top the sheer power she held. So outside of the theatre group, Roman was a nobody. But Roman was also  _ daring, and just, and drop-dead gorgeous.  _ Patton attended every single play and musical, just to see Roman on stage. But beyond giving Roman a brief ‘congratulations’ at the end of each production, Patton couldn’t talk to him.

Patton could interact with his other crush a little more. Logan Berry was the definition of a nerd. He was in all advanced classes, he wore ties, he never got below 95% on any test. But he wasn’t a teacher’s pet. Actually, most teachers here  _ hated  _ Logan, for the simple fact that Logan would not let mistakes slide by. If a teacher said something wrong during a lesson, Logan spoke up. If a teacher graded something unfairly, Logan spoke up about it. The teachers always tried to report Logan for his ‘attitude,’ but the truth was he didn’t  _ have an attitude.  _ Logan only stated facts, and he kept his hand up politely while never having any sort of inflection in his tone. There were only a hand full of people that could make him show emotion, hence the nickname ‘robot.’ Patton wanted to speak up about the nickname, but he knew it would only draw more attention to Logan. But Logan wasn’t emotionless. He was  _ kind, and patient, and helpful. _ Patton had needed help in his math classes, and his parents paid Logan to be his tutor. Patton ignored the fact the Logan was being paid to interact with him. Logan was extremely good with explanations, even when Patton couldn’t wrap his head around a concept. After a few weeks of math tutoring, Patton asked for help with English. One thing led to another, and they were basically study-buddies (with, you know, one of them being paid). But outside of study sessions, Patton couldn’t talk to him.

Then there was Virgil Storm. Virgil had transferred to their high school halfway through Freshman year. He was a loner, never seen hanging out with anyone. But something about him immediately drew in Patton’s attention. Maybe it was the (confirmed) rumors of Virgil getting kicked out of other schools due to fights. Maybe it was the way that his lips quirked every time he got a question right in class. Or maybe it was the way he looked in gym class, hoodie off and muscles exposed. Whatever the reason, Patton had been drawn to Virgil. Even if they had never spoken to each other. Well, until now.

It was September of Sophomore year, and Patton had been strolling down the hallway, minding his own business. He normally didn’t eat lunch at school, so he used this time to interact with teens outside of classes.

_ Crash! _

Patton’s head whipped around, seeing a student shoved into the lockers. Now, that wouldn’t do at all. Patton quickly made his way to the fight, quickly recognizing the two teens. Virgil was on the ground with a bloody lip, while Jacob Smith. Jacob was captain of the football team, if Patton remembered correctly. Patton frowned as he noticed several of his ‘friends’ stand in the background but not help Virgil.

“Jacob!” Patton stepped between Virgil and Jacob, effectively pulling everyone’s attention towards him. Patton put on his best ‘disappointed’ expression. “Why are you hurting him?”

Jacob frowned. “He deserved it, Patton!”

Patton tilted his head slightly, making sure he kept the wide-eyed, innocent look. “What did he do?”

Jacob growled. “He’s a faggot that deserves to rot in Hell!”

Patton used all of his self-control to not show any of his shock. He didn’t know Jacob was such a homophobe. To use slurs and hurt a kid for being gay? That won’t do at all. Patton kept his curious look. “What does ‘faggot’ mean? Does it mean he’s a meanie?” Poor, innocent Patton wouldn’t know what that word meant. And Jacob Smith just sullied poor Patton’s mouth with those words. At least, that’s what everyone else thought.

Everyone stood in silence before someone spoke up. “It means he’s gay!” Patton couldn’t figure out who said that, but he mentally thanked them for giving him the perfect opening.

“So he got hit because he’s gay?” Patton hunched over slightly, pulling out all the stops for his ‘innocent, defenseless little lamb’ look.

Jacob smirked, glad to see that Patton was catching on. “Yeah, he deserves to be beat until he learns his lesson!”

Patton let his lip quiver as he summoned his crocodile tears. “B-but I’m gay!” While this wasn’t extremely common knowledge, it was extremely implied through Patton’s mannerisms and style of dress. Patton let the tears pour out. Several students started to approach as they caught on to what Patton was implying. “A-are you gonna b-beat me too?”

Jacob seemed to realize his mistake. “Pat-” He moved in to wrap his arms around Patton.

Patton flinched in (fake) fear, throwing his hands over his head. Still, what he yelled was loud and clear. “NO, PLEASE DON’T HURT ME!” Several students grabbed Jacob by the arms and dragged him away.

Janice approached Patton now, making sure to put some distance between them. “Are you okay, Pat?”

Patton let out a shaky sigh before lowering his arms. He gave Janice a wobbly smile. “Y-yeah. I’m gonna go wash my face in the bathroom. Can you go make sure Jacob doesn’t try this again?” Janice nodded, slinking off to wherever Jacob was dragged to. Now that all of the crowd was focused on Jacob, Patton turned his attention to Virgil. He was staring up at Patton with a mixture of awe and…  _ fear?  _ “C’mon, let’s go get cleaned up.” Virgil nodded mutely, getting up on his own. He grabbed his bag and a case of some sort ( _ he probably dropped them when Jacob attacked him _ ) before following Patton to the nearest bathroom. Patton grabbed some paper towels and got them wet before handing them to Virgil, who sat on the counter of the sinks. “Here, for your lip.” Virgil accepted it silently, dotting his lip to stem the bleeding. “I could take you to the nurse if you want.” Virgil shook his head no and Patton shrugged, moving to fix his makeup.

“Is it true?” Patton’s head shot up and Virgil looked away with a blush, hiding his face in his hoodie. “That you’re… um…”

Patton finished the question. “That I’m gay?” Virgil nodded, still blushing. “Yeah, I am. Are you also gay, or was Jacob accusing you of being gay for no reason?” Because if Virgil wasn’t gay, then that was an entirely different can of worms to deal with (one of which being Patton’s crush on him).

Virgil nodded. “Yeah, Jacob had seen my phone screen with me and my boyfriends.”

Patton tilted his head. He didn’t know that Virgil had boyfriends. “Can I see?” Virgil nodded, slowly taking out his phone to show Patton the lock screen. Logan, Roman and Virgil all stared at him, huddled under a mass of blankets. Patton felt his heart constrict at the fact that  _ all of his crushes were dating each other so Patton didn’t have a chance,  _ and smiled. “Awe, you look so cute together!” He moved to resume working on his makeup and accidentally bumped Virgil’s case with his foot. “What do you have in there?” He asked, genuinely curious.

Virgil blushed. “It’s a guitar. Me and my boyfriends were gonna practice after school.”

Patton let his eyebrows raise in shock. “You guys play guitar?”

Virgil turned even redder. “I do. Roman does bass and Logan does drums. We have a small band called  _ The Sides.  _ It’s nothing really.”

Patton’s eyes lit up. “You have a band? That’s so cool! Do you play at parties?” Patton hadn’t been to many parties lately.

Virgil sighed. “No, not yet. I don’t think we’ll ever be good enough for that.”

Patton shook his head. “I bet you are! Do you know how awesome it would be to have a  _ band  _ at your party instead of some lame DJ? I promise, once you start promoting yourself, people will be begging to hire you!” Suddenly, the bell went off, signaling the end of lunch. “Oh, I’ve gotta go. See you later!”

Patton made a note to bring up playing instruments with Logan during their next study session. Even if Patton could never be romantically involved with his crushed, he could still make them happy. And if that meant pulling a few strings to make them the most popular music group in school?

Well, Patton was willing to pull a few strings for them.


	14. Day 14: Vampire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s almost Halloween, and Logan wants to make sure that their costumes are historically accurate. Patton seems to have a suspiciously large amount of (uncommon) knowledge on Vampires.  
> Mainly Logan POV, no pairings (yet)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I can't believe it's already August 14th. Has it really been two weeks since I posted the Fantasy AU?
> 
> Anyways, sorry that this chapter is so short. It will definitely be continued, but I couldn't find a good stopping point.

“Alright, my notes on Frankenstein’s Monster and Egyptian Mummies are complete. Now, what are you going to dress as, Virgil?”

Virgil groaned, laying halfway off of the couch to where his head nearly touched the floor. “Why are we doing this, again? It’s after midnight on a Friday, I want to get a good amount of sleep for once.”

Logan sighed, adjusting his glasses. “We each get to direct a certain part of Halloween, as per our roommate agreement. You get to scare us in the middle of the night, Roman has full decorative control, Patton can bake whatever Halloween-themed treats he desires, and I get to make sure that our costumes are at least semi-accurate.” He took a quick survey of the room. Roman, Virgil, and Logan were all seated on the couch, while Patton was in the reclining chair across the room. Roman was watching Hocus Pocus, having just finished looking up mummy facts with Logan and needing a Disney break. Patton had just fallen asleep a few minutes ago. That was fine; Logan would just ask him about his costume in the morning. Logan frowned at the bags underneath Patton’s eyes. Patton had been taking extra shifts recently so he could take some time off for Halloween. He probably hadn’t had much sleep over the past few days. He turned back to Virgil, who was now casually scrolling through Tumblr. “Now, what are you dressing up as for Halloween, Virgil?”

Virgil shrugged. “Dunno, probably a Vampire. They’re scary.”

Logan nodded. “Alright, which type of Vampire would you like to study?”

Virgil finally looked up, confused. “I thought there was only one type.”

Logan shook his head. “The idea of Vampires has existed since Ancient Greece. It was thought to be spirits that needed human fluids to satisfy them. Over time, people then believed that Vampires were people brought back from the dead. This was mainly due to a lack of medical expertise and unconscious individuals being presumed dead. They were buried and had to dig themselves out of their graves. That was where the idea of ‘a stake through the heart’ originated; people would do that to corpses before burying them.” He continued to read through articles. “The term ‘Vampyre’ originated in the mid-18th century. The idea of Vampires that we know today stems from Bram Stoker’s  _ Dracula,  _ which was written in the late 1800s. There are dozens of versions of Vampires. The main consensus is that Vampires are undead creatures that require some form of fluid or ‘energy’ from humans in order to survive.”

“V’pires aren’t dead.” Everyone’s heads shot up to Patton, whose eyes were still closed. He probably didn’t even realize he was talking. “They jus’ live a long time. Well, the firs’ ones did. They started actin’ more like humans ov’ the years. They don’t need blood to live, but they can get really weak and sick without it.”

The others stared at Patton in shock. When Patton’s breath started evening out, Virgil spoke up. “What about the things sunlight and garlic?”

Patton quietly snorted, but his eyes were still closed. “Garlic’s never worked on Vampires. The firs’ ones couldn’t be out in sun, but over time Vampires adapted to act like humans. Shorter lifespans, human-like weaknesses, so on.”

Logan kept his voice down as he asked a question, his mind reeling.  _ Where did Patton get such information?  _ “What about the stake through the heart?”

Patton snorted again. “If you had a giant stick in your chest, would you still be alive?” He seemed to relax more as he rambled on. “Ev’ryone thinks that Vampires are  _ so scary,  _ but they’re not. Turned ones tend to be a little vicious at first, but they’re fine. Can’t even have kids.”

Roman spoke up now. “Can’t have kids?” He’d turned off the TV now, as everyone’s focus was on the semi-sleeping roommate.

Patton hummed. “Infertile. Only natural borns can have kids. With other natural borns or with humans. That’s why we’re starting to be more human-like. Heck, we can even rep’duce with people of the same gender!”

Everyone was startled as they realized what Patton had said. Logan made sure to keep his voice low, but inside he was shaking.  _ They’re not real they’re not real  _ **_they’re not real!_ ** “Patton, why did you say ‘we?’”

Patton then seemed to realize that he had been talking this whole time. His eyes snapped open.  _ I thought I was dreaming!  _ Patton looked over at the three shocked humans and he chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

_ This is gonna be a doozy. _


	15. Day 15: Coffee Shop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remy tries to get his best friend to confess to his crush. He gets a boyfriend in the process.  
> Remy POV, Remile with Logicality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's prompt was supposed to be "role reversal," but I didn't feel comfortable writing that right now. Maybe I'll write that in the future, but for now you get coffee shop AU!

Remy sighed as he gave Karen her coffee. Well, her name wasn’t actually Karen, but she was annoying and Remy had already forgotten the name that he’d written on her cup, so her name was now Karen. A lot of the people who walked in and out of the small coffee shop had a nickname mentally given to them by Remy. He’d been mainly serving Karens today with a few Kevins (the actual gender of the person didn’t change their nickname. Applying genders to names was bullshit in Remy’s opinion. If they asked for something specific or for Remy to remake it, they’re a Karen. If they look like a tired college student, they’re a Kevin. Simple as that). Remy looked up at the clock and smiled.  _ 1:28 PM. Any minute now. _

Sure enough, at 1:32 Remy’s two favorite customers walked through the door: Emile and Patton Picani. Remy smiled as they took their place in the back of the line. He served a few more customers and Logan appeared behind him, requesting to manage the front for the rest of the shift. Just like he did every day. Remy smirked as he traded places with Logan, going to make drinks. He was fine with this arrangement, if only because it meant he could stare unabashedly at the Picani brothers without getting caught. More specifically, the elder brother Emile.

Emile and Patton Picani were regulars at The Sleepytime Cafe. They also went to the same college that Logan did. Emile was studying to be a therapist while Patton and Logan were wanting to be teachers. Logan had an insanely large crush on the younger Picani brother, while Remy wasn’t shy to admit that he harbored feelings for the older one. But Remy was also broke and partied every weekend; he didn’t have a chance. But Logan did; he was smart and kind and sexy as hell. So, after the Picani brothers ordered their drinks and sat down, Remy spoke up.

“So, when are you gonna ask out Patton-cakes?”

Logan sputtered, his face quickly turning red. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Remy snorted. “Puh-lease. You ask to serve customers every afternoon so you can talk to him. You stare at him every time he passes by. You’re obviously head-over-heels for him.” He gestured to the two brothers who were both speaking softly, a small blush on Patton’s cheeks. “And he obviously has a crush on you too. Trust me babes, I know a crush when I see one. Just ask him out; if he doesn’t say yes, I’ll buy your coffee for the next month.” Remy didn’t really have the money to afford that, but he was confident enough to bet it anyways.

Logan served the last customer before turning and giving Remy the  _ Look.  _ Remy knew that  _ Look  _ all too well. It was the look he was given after showing up on Mondays with hangovers. It was the look of  _ you just said or did something incredibly stupid.  _ “You are such a hypocrite.”

Remy blinked. “What?”

Logan sighed. “I am not the only one who is-” He took a pack of notecards out of his apron pocket and flipped through them until he found the one he was looking for. “ _ -simping  _ for a Picani brother.”

Remy gave a half-hearted laugh. “I don’t have a shot with the good ol’ Doc. I’m just a random guy at the coffee shop. But you and Pat have a chance. Trust me.”

Logan crossed his arms. “And I believe that you and Emile ‘have a chance.’” He thought for a minute before smirking. “Why don’t we make a deal?”

Remy cocked his eyebrow, fixing himself an iced coffee. “I’m listening.”

“If you go and ask Emile out right now, I will ask Patton out on a date.”

If Remy had been drinking his newly-made coffee, he would’ve spat it out. Instead, he shook his head. “Hon, trust me. Emile doesn’t want some hot trash like me. He deserves better than that.”

Logan crossed his arms again. “I will not approach Patton on the subject until you confess your attraction to Emile.”

Remy stared for a moment before sighing. “If it’ll make you talk to your crush, then I’ll go get my heart broken.” Before Logan could respond, Remy had hung up his apron and was walking towards the Picani brother’s table. He took a sip of his coffee as he summoned his courage. Once he reached the table, Remy used all of his charms as he smirked. “Hey, babes.”

Emile blushed. “Hello, Remy. Would you like to sit with us?”

Remy cleared his throat. “Actually, I was wondering if I could speak with you, Doc. Y’know, alone?” He gestured towards the back room.

Emile blinked for a moment before nodded. “Sure!”

Remy smiled, leading Emile towards the back room. He stapped to make eye contact with Logan and gestured towards Patton, who was sitting alone at the table. Logan blushed and nodded while Remy continued onward.

Remy led Emile to one of the storage closets, shutting them inside. He blushed at the intimacy before speaking. “Look, I know this is probably the last thing you wanna do right now, but I wanted Logan to finally admit his crush, and I promise I’ll make this quick and you can be on your way-”

Emile’s finger was suddenly pressed against his lips, and he felt his blush grow stronger. Emile looked concerned as he removed his hand. “What is this about, Remy?”

Remy sighed. “Logan said that he wouldn’t ask Patton out on a date until I confessed my feelings towards you.” He focused on the floor, not wanting to see the disgust on Emile’s face. “I know you don’t wanna be hearing this from some nobody like me, but I really like you. And I know you probably don’t wanna talk to me any more than necessary, which I completely understand. I just wanted Lo to finally find love and be happy and-”

Remy felt something press against his lips again, and it took him a moment to realize that it was Emile’s lips.  _ Emile was kissing Remy!  _ Before Remy could even react, Emile pulled away. He grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry, I got carried away. I like you too. A lot.”

Remy stared. “Oh.”

Emile let out a small laugh. “Yeah, oh.” They stood there for a moment, laughing in the tiny closet, all of their worries and insecurities slipping away.

After a moment Remy spoke up. “So… what now?”

Emile hummed. “Well, I really wanna go on a date with you. But that can wait.” He grabbed the collar of Remy’s jacket, and Remy’s mind went blank. “I really wanna kiss you again.”

Remy nodded, his mouth suddenly dry. “Kissing sounds nice.” Emile laughed as he moved in for another kiss.

* * *

Once Remy and Emile were in the closet, Logan sat down next to Patton. He leaned over and kissed Patton on the temple. Patton, smiled, leaning over to rest his head on Logan’s shoulder. Logan laughed. “Looks like our plan worked.”

Patton snorted.  _ “Finally.  _ If I had to hear Emile rant about Remy  _ one more time,  _ I would’ve lost it. He’s always talking about ‘ _ his dreamy eyes _ ’ or ‘ _ his bold confidence _ ’ or how ‘ _ he’ll never notice someone as boring as ME, Patton!’”  _ Logan laughed as Patton mimicked his older brother.

They sat there for a few more minutes before Logan spoke up. “So, when are we going to tell them that we’ve been dating for the past 3 months?”

Patton hummed, a smirk on his lips. “We’ll tell them later. Let them have their moment. For now-” he angled his body to where he was fully facing Logan. Patton gently gripped Logan’s chin with his fingers. “-I would love to continue from last night.”

Logan smiled as he leaned in. “ _ Of course~” _


	16. Day 16: Treasure Hunters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton and Logan are husbands and partners, traveling across the globe in search of hidden treasures. The one expedition that Patton can’t attend, Logan bites off more than he can chew.  
> Patton/Logan POV, Logicality and Prinxiety

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, important question time!
> 
> Now that we're halfway through AU-gust (which is a crazy thought. It feels like yesterday I was writing the Fantasy AU) it's time to start talking about continuations. I will be turning most of these one-shots into entire fics and posting them into the 'AU-gust fics :)' series. The problem is that if I were to have a weekly upload for every fic, I would be posting 4-5 chapters per day. And I love you guys, but not that much (at least buy me dinner first/j). There are two ways that we could do this:
> 
> 1.) I line all of the AUs up in order and write a chapter for each of them. I would post 1 or 2 of them per day. So on September 1st, I would post a chapter for the Fantasy AU. On September 2nd, I would post a chapter for the College AU and the Soulmate AU. The main issue with this is that an individual fic would take 2-3 weeks to update. So if you really like the Fantasy AU but not the other AUs, it could be several months before I finish it.
> 
> 2.) I pick out 3 AUs and focus on them. Once I'm satisfied (or burnt-out), I'll pick out 3 more AUs to focus on. While you would get near-daily uploads, it could be several weeks before I focus on the AU that you like.
> 
> So, which option would you prefer? If you need more details or clarification, let me know and I'll try to explain more. And if you pick option 2, which AUs would you want me to focus on first? That answer can change if any future AUs catch your attention. I'm asking this question now so you have time to think and answer. I'm not continuing any of these until September 1st, so please let me know of your answer before then. Thanks :)

Patton sighed as his husband ran around the kitchen. “Lo, I can clean up on my own.”

Logan huffed as he finished cleaning up breakfast. “Your metatarsal is fractured, Patton. I do not want you performing any strenuous activities and potentially hurting yourself.” He gestured to Patton’s foot, which was wrapped up in a light blue cast. “Besides, what kind of husband would I be if I couldn’t help my love when he’s injured?”

Patton smiled. “You’d still be my perfect hubby.” He slowly got out of his chair in the dining room, using his crutches to maneuver himself. “If you won’t let me clean up, then I’ll be crocheting in the living room.” He made his way to the living room, his eyes briefly moving towards the different photos and artifacts that lined the walls. Every inch of this room painted a picture of their lives. Patton and Logan Sanders. Archaeologists/Treasure Hunters of 12 years, husbands of 10. Patton sighed dreamily, remembering when they’d met on the outskirts of Turkey. It had been love at first sight (in Patton’s opinion at least). Patton continued to reminisce as he sat on the couch, pulling out a scarf he was making. It was currently early November, and Patton wanted to make scarves and hats for the two of them to wear when it started to snow here in New York.

Eventually, Logan finished cleaning the kitchen and joined Patton in the living room. Patton made his scarf while Logan leaned on his side, reading a book. Patton glanced at the book a bit back a snort. Judging by the images, it seemed to be an instructional book for reading hieroglyphics (in Egyptian of course. Logan was so extra when it came to learning). They spent the next few hours in relative silence, the occasional clink of crochet hooks or the turn of a page lulling them deeper into the peaceful scenario they’ve created.

Eventually, Logan sat his book down and spoke. “I can still cancel my trip.”

Patton shook his head. “You’ve always wanted to go to Egypt, Lo. And who knows when you’ll get another opportunity like this. You’re gonna be the first person to see inside that tomb!”

Logan sighed. “But it won’t be the same without you there beside me.”

Patton chuckled, running his fingers through Logan’s hair. “I’m sure you’ll have fun. And as soon as you get back, we’ll have the rest of the years to ourselves. I’ll even bake you a pie for when you get back!”

Logan winced. “Please don’t. I’ll just be worrying about you getting burnt the entire expedition.”

Patton smiled softly. “Then I’ll make you something that doesn’t require an oven.” He leaned down to kiss Logan’s forehead. “I’ll be fine on my own, I promise.”

* * *

Patton sighed as he took in the now empty house. The expedition was set to last for three weeks. Three weeks of crocheting and cleaning and not having a worrywart husband breathing down his neck (Patton loved Logan’s protectiveness, but sometimes it was just too much). Patton hummed to himself as he sat down to finish his scarf. He wanted to get all of the scarves and hats done before Logan got back.

* * *

Logan sighed as he listened to the local’s ramblings. Usually Patton was the one to gather public information while Logan gathered written information, but sadly his love wasn’t here with him. Logan ignored the thoughts and focused on what the man was saying.

Apparently, one of the men had stumbled upon the undiscovered tomb of King Roman, one of the less commonly known Pharaohs. That was because he never took a lover. Well, he never took a _female_ lover. While his twin brother Remus provided heirs and directed the kingdom financially, King Roman was the general of his armies. He was present in nearly every battle alongside Virgilius, his second-in-command. They were suspected to be in a romantic relationship, and it was rumored that after Roman and Virgilius died on the battlefield, Remus preserved both of their bodies in the pyramid. While the textbooks say it’s because Virgilius was Roman’s loyal protector, most people believed it was because of their relationship. It was said that after King Roman was killed on the battlefield, Virgilius slaughtered the opposing army single-handedly before dying. Whether he died from battle wounds or if he took his own life was up to interpretation.

None of the locals wished to enter the pyramid, lest they be cursed. Logan knew the real reason, however. Homosexuality was still illegal in Egypt. They most likely either didn’t wish to sully themselves by entering the resting place of a homosexual ruler, or they were afraid that they would get ‘cursed with homosexuality’ if they trespassed. The amount of aggression towards homosexuality upset Logan greatly, and for the first time on this expedition, he was thankful that Patton was not present. It was upsetting enough to still be using his original surname (he had taken Patton’s last name when they married, but he used ‘Croft’ in all work-related scenarios in case the country they were in was homophobic), but it was always soul-crushing to treat Patton as nothing more than a coworker on these expeditions.

Logan fiddled with the thin chain of his necklace, where his wedding ring sat under his clothes. He was only a few days in, and he was already wishing to see Patton again.

* * *

Patton took off his wedding ring and pulled on a pair of rubber gloves. Today was cleaning day!

Patton hummed several tunes under his breath as he cleaned the house from top to bottom. Even with a broken foot, he completed each task efficiently and enthusiastically. He cleaned the bathrooms, the kitchen, the bedroom, the guest bedroom, and now he was cleaning the living room. He whistled as he dusted off different artifacts and photo frames. He smiled fondly as he dusted a photo from their wedding day. He let his mind be pulled back to memory land as he cleaned. Everything from that day brought happy tears to his eyes. From the preparations, to Logan’s face as he saw Patton walking down the aisle, even the brief scare when they couldn’t find the rings. Patton felt his eyes water as he blew some dust off of the frame, their wedding vows playing in his head.

_‘I will love you, forever and always’_

* * *

Logan felt his eyes water as he blew the dust off of the sarcophagus. There were multiple hieroglyphics and what appeared to be old Latin written on the casing. Logan struggled to read it.

_‘...find...afterlife...live again...forever and always’_

Logan snapped a few pictures with his camera. Latin was Patton’s area of expertise. Maybe he could decipher it when he got home. Logan examined the sarcophagus. It appeared to be the tomb of Virgilius. Logan opened up the sarcophagus and was unsurprised to find a mummified corpse. What did surprise him was the necklace around the mummy’s neck. Logan readjusted his gloves before carefully removing the necklace. It was a beautiful onyx color with what appeared to be amethyst gemstones. Logan carefully sealed it in a plastic bag before setting it inside of his satchel. Once he discovered nothing else of value in the room, he closed the sarcophagus before making his way to the next room. He left the mummy alone for now; it would most likely be donated to a museum, and he had multiple days to analyze the body before then.

After a few more hours of searching, Logan finally found what he assumed to the sarcophagus of King Roman. The inscription on this tomb was less corroded, and Logan was able to read another part of it.

_‘...find...afterlife...blood...awaken...live again...forever and always’_

Logan took another photo before opening the sarcophagus. Like Virgilius. Roman’s mummified corpse had a piece of jewelry on it. It was a gold bracelet with ruby gemstones. Logan went to remove the bracelet when it suddenly _moved._ Logan watched as the bracelet shot up and latched itself onto the sliver of bare skin between Logan’s glove and arm. He went to remove the bracelet and quickly found that he couldn’t. It looked as if it had melded to his skin. Logan turned back to the mummy and screamed.

* * *

Patton screamed as he smacked the wall with his broom. _Spider spider HATE SPIDERS!_ Patton continued to scream and smack until he was sure that the spider was dead. Even then, Patton couldn’t stop his racing heart. Not for the first time since Logan left, Patton had wished he didn’t tell Logan to go. Patton depended on Logan, just as Logan depended on Patton. They needed each other for physical, mental, and emotional support. And for killing creepy-crawly death dealers.

Patton jumped as he heard his phone ring. He smiled as he read the caller ID: _Lolo <3\. _Patton quickly answered the phone. “Hey Lo, you will not believe what just happened-”

_“I’m coming home.”_

Patton was shocked at being cut off, then frowned at what Logan said. “Why?” Logan was only 3 days into his expedition. This was probably the first day he’d entered the pyramid. So why was he already leaving?

Logan’s voice was shaky as he answered. _“I-I’ll show you when I get home, Pat. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you over the phone.”_

Patton snorted. “Lo, I took you to a fairy circle on our anniversary. Try me.”

Logan sighed. _“King Roman, the dead Pharoh? He’s not dead anymore.”_


	17. Day 17: Modern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus, Janus, and Virgil were all in a relationship when they were teenagers. But because of college and family issues, they were forced to separate. Now, 5 years later, they’ve found each other again. They’re currently in relationships, but that won’t stop them from having fun.  
> Virgil POV, Intruanxceit with Moxiety, Roceit, Intrulogical and familial Morolo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, today's prompt was supposed to be Firefighter AU. How the hell do you write a Firefighter AU? After spending several hours on it and giving up, I decided to go through my old WIPs and dragged out this one for the Modern AU joker. I hope you like it!
> 
> Oh, and I have another question! I am leaving this Friday to go camping. I will be able to post Friday's chapter and Sunday's chapter, but I won't have any access to the internet on Saturday. Would you prefer it if I posted Saturday's chapter on Friday or Sunday?

“So, why are we going again?”

“Because Lolo’s got a boyfriend, silly! And now’s the perfect time for everyone to meet each other and catch up. It’ll be fun, I promise!”

Virgil sighed. “If you say so.” Virgil closed his eyes in a belated attempt to get some sleep while he thought over his current predicament. Virgil and Patton had been dating for almost a year now, and this would be the first time that Virgil met Patton’s brothers, Logan and Roman. Not only that, but he would also be meeting  _ their  _ boyfriend, who neither Virgil nor Patton knew anything about. Four essential strangers, all of whom Virgil was supposed to get along with. It was nerve-wracking to think about. But Virgil would do it. For Patton.

Patton Sanders. Lovable, enthusiastic Patton. A godsend that Virgil didn’t deserve. Every day was filled with soft kisses and gentle touches. “I love you” was spoken as often as “Hello.” It was so… warm. And peaceful. And different from everything Virgil had ever known beforehand.

“We’re here!” Virgil slowly opened his eyes, the earlier dread returning with a vengeance. He felt his anxiety coil in his gut as he got out of the car. He stuffed his hands into his hoodie pocket, suddenly self-conscious about his state of dress. Patton had said to dress casual, but what if this was  _ too  _ casual? “Ready?” Virgil’s eyes snapped up to meet Patton’s. Patton had a small smile on his face, making sure to keep his distance. Virgil was grateful for his boyfriend’s thoughtfulness (he didn’t like to be touched when he was anxious). Virgil nodded, forcing his feet to take him to the door.

Patton knocked on the door, adjusting the tray of cookies that Virgil had forgotten they’d made. There was some scuffling before someone yelled “I’ll get it!” Virgil used all of his willpower to not let the confusion show on his face. It was probably just the way the door muffled their voice, but Virgil swore that sounded just like-

The door opened to reveal Janus Python. There’s no way Virgil was mistaking him for someone else. From the heterochromatic eyes to the scar on his cheek to the way he carried himself. Virgil just stood there and silently stared. How long had it been since he’d last seen Janus? (That was a rhetorical question. Four years, eleven months and three days. There wasn’t a day that went by where Virgil didn’t reminisce about the times he had with his ex-boyfriends. The drugs, the sex, the chaos, the  _ fun. _ )

“Hello!” Virgil’s eyes snapped over to Patton, who didn’t seem to notice his silence. “I’m Patton and this is my boyfriend, Virgil.”

Janus blinked before smiling. “Pleasure to meet you. My name is Janus. I’m Roman’s boyfriend.” He held open the door, not sparing Virgil another glance. “Do come in. The  _ others  _ are waiting in the living room.” Virgil felt a small pang of hurt at being ignored like that. But on the other hand, it reminded Virgil of the games they would play at parties. They would show up at separate times, pretend like they’d never met each other, use their codewords to start the scene, then put all of their acting and exhibitionism to the test. Virgil had loved those games. Pretending that sexual touches were platonic; making out in an unlocked room where anyone could come in and expose them; kissing someone that wasn’t your boyfriends just to rile them up-

Virgil mentally shook the thought away. Janus wasn’t his boyfriend anymore.  _ They  _ weren’t his boyfriends anymore. Patton was. Sweet, innocent, vanilla bean Patton. Patton, who would immediately break up with Virgil if he knew of Virgil’s life before meeting Patton. It would be best to just ignore Janus for the rest of the day. He probably didn’t even recognize Virgil. And it wasn’t even Janus nor Virgil who started these games, and there was no way that  _ he  _ would also be here-

“And then I said, ‘Joke’s on you, I have two!’” Virgil resisted the urge to scream. In the middle of the living room, telling a story that Virgil had heard hundreds of times, was Remus Duke. Virgil’s other ex-boyfriend. Virgil couldn’t believe the irony of the moment. Virgil was here to meet his boyfriend’s brothers, and said brothers’ boyfriends just so happened to be Virgil’s ex-boyfriends. They weren’t even in the same state that Virgil had last seen them! They had all grown up in California; Remus moved to Washington, Janus to New York, and Virgil to Florida. That’s why they had broken up; their relationship was too physical and personal to be long-distance.

Janus cleared his throat, and everyone turned to look at them. Virgil made brief eye-contact with Remus, and he could see the amusement and shock in his eyes. At least he knew that Remus recognized him. Remus smiled. “Well, hello!” He pointed to Patton. “You must be Patton. I can see the resemblance.” A blatant lie. Even though they were all blood brothers, they looked nothing alike. “Lolo’s told me so much about you. All good things!” He looked over to Virgil, a hungry look in his eyes. “Now, who is this handsome stranger?”

The man sitting next to Remus, who Virgil assumed was Logan, lightly smacked Remus on the arm. “Ree, behave.” Remus pouted slightly but nodded.

Virgil took a deep breath before responding. “The name’s Virgil, but you can call me Virge.” He made sure to get eye contact from everyone in the room, but he looked into Remus’ dark orbs as he said ‘Virge.’ After all, ‘Virgey’ was Remus’ favorite nickname for him. Janus went and sat down next to the final individual, who Virgil assumed was Roman. Patton and Virgil sat in the remaining seats. It put Virgil directly next to Remus. Part of Virgil expected Remus to lay his hand on Virgil’s thigh, but Virgil knew he wouldn’t. They hadn’t started the game, after all-

Virgil mentally shook away the thought. They weren’t dating anymore. There was no game. Virgil was going to sit here and be Patton’s perfect boyfriend. Nothing more.

… But Virgil couldn’t stop thinking. About how good Janus’ lips used to taste. About how fun it was to play these games with Remus. About how he still loved them, after all of these years.

Roman, Logan, and Patton chatted for a few minutes while the others sat there silently. Virgil watched as Remus and Janus made eye contact before Remus stood up. “Well, while you three catch up, I’m gonna go get me something to drink. I’m thirstier than a shark in the Sahara.” Virgil felt his breath hitch slightly. That was it. The codephrase they used to start their games. Remus turned to Janus. “Do you want anything, beautiful?”

Janus seemed to ponder the question for a moment before standing up. “I’ll go with you. I’m positively parched.”  _ Janus’ codephrase for ‘I wanna play.’  _ Janus asked the others what they would like, but Virgil tuned them out. It was inconsequential to the game. Janus then turned to Virgil. “Is there anything you would like, Virgil?”  _ They’re giving me an out. I could say no and pretend I never knew them. But… _

Virgil looked over at Patton. Sweet, submissive, vanilla Patton. Then he looked back at Remus and Janus. Two men that knew how to make Virgil scream down to a science. Two men that knew Virgil’s deepest secrets and wildest fantasies. Two men that still held a flame in Virgil’s heart.

Virgil cleared his throat before standing up. “I’ll go see what’s in there. Might grab something to eat while I’m at it.” They all understood the codephrase loud and clear.  _ We need to negotiate some things before we start. _

Remus nodded, his smile widening. “Alrighty then! Let’s go!” Virgil nodded as he followed them out of the room.  _ What did I just sign myself up for? _


	18. Day 18: Bodyguard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Logan signed up to be the bodyguard of a wealthy (and questionable) man’s son, he thought it would be an easy job. Just sit in the background and make sure the kid doesn’t get killed. He didn’t expect the kid to be his age. Or flirty. Or dating his ex.  
> Logan POV, eventual Analogince with parental Moxiety

Logan sighed as he twirled the ballpoint pen between his fingers. He was sitting in the middle of a cafe, filling out a crossword puzzle. He took a sip of his chamomile tea and bit back a grimace. It was exceedingly bitter; the coffee shop he normally went to served much better drinks. But he wasn’t here because of the drinks. He briefly looked up from his crossword to quietly observe the real reason he was here. On the other side of the cafe, scrolling through his phone while he sipped on an iced coffee, sat Virgil Tempest Sanders, son of Patton Sanders and heir of Sanders Financing.

Logan thought back to everything leading up to this moment. Before this, Logan was commonly hired to take out corrupt politicians and gang leaders. So when he got a call from  _ Patton Sanders  _ to be a bodyguard, he was shocked to say the least. Patton Sanders was seen as the epitome of goodwill; he frequently donated to charity, has never spoken ill will towards anyone, and always had a smile on his face. So it was extremely odd for him to contact an assassin who was frequently hired by much more sinister individuals. But apparently Logan’s skills impressed Mr. Sanders enough to provide Logan a more permanent (and well-paying) job.

The job was simple: shadow his son any time he was out of the house. Virgil was kept on an extremely short leash after he was ‘kidnapped’ 5 years ago. He was only gone for a few months, but it was enough to essentially put him on house arrest. Virgil was only allowed to be out of the house between 10 AM and 5 PM. Mr. Sanders paid Logan to watch Virgil during these hours. When Logan had first learned about the job, he’d nearly scoffed in disbelief. He didn’t want to be babysitting a child! But after hearing about what wages he’d earn, Logan quickly changed his tune. 

It was also shocking to learn that Logan actually  _ wasn’t  _ babysitting a child. Virgil was 23 years old; shockingly close to Logan’s own age. The age surprised him for several reasons. First of all, why was Virgil kept on such a short leash at 23 years old? Sure, he was kidnapped for a few months (which Logan doubted was an actual kidnapping. It was more likely that Virgil ran away) but that still didn’t warrant such restrictions for an adult. Second of all, Virgil still looked like a teenager. He had an extremely youthful face, with large brown eyes hidden beneath an oversized purple hoodie. He was actually quite attractive, almost as attractive as-

Logan figuratively shook the thought away, attempting to focus on the crossword puzzle. There were a few words that he was stuck on, but he was most likely going to stay here for a while. One of the perks to this job was that Virgil only tended to go to four places: this cafe, the local library, a small music store on the other side of town, and the local park. Still, Logan had been following this pattern with Virgil for the past two months. A small part of Logan, the part that smiled slightly when he managed to shoot someone directly between the eyes, wished that  _ something  _ would happen to spice things up-

“Amir.”

Logan looked up and was surprised to see Virgil leaning over his shoulder, staring at the crossword puzzle. “What?”

Virgil smirked. “‘First name that can mean ‘prince.’’” He took the ballpoint pen from Logan’s hand, which he had been lightly nibbling on. Logan bit back a gasp as Virgil deliberately ran the pen against Logan’s bottom lip before using it to write ‘AMIR’ on the crossword.

Logan examined the paper and was surprised to see that it was the correct answer. He blushed as he turned back to Virgil, who had a smug look in his eyes. “Th-Thank you, Mr…?”

Virgil smiled, settling down in the seat across from Logan. “Call me Tempest. And you are?”

Logan smiled at the use of Virgil’s last name. He felt like he should at least reciprocate. “Adstrum.”

Virgil smirked. “Glory. Immortality.” He gives Logan a once-over before practically purring.  _ “Divinity.” _

Logan blushed at the implications. “I’m sure my parents meant ‘star’ when they named me.”

Virgil laughed before his expression darkened. “So, how much is he paying you?”

Logan put on a faux-innocent expression, but on the inside it felt like his blood had turned to ice. Mr. Sanders specifically said that Virgil couldn’t know about Logan unless absolutely necessary. Logan thought he’d been subtle and inconspicuous. “Who is paying me, exactly?”

Virgil sighed. “My father. Look, you almost fooled me at first. If I wasn’t always watching my back, you would’ve fooled me. But nobody ever visits this cafe because their coffee’s shit.” He gestured to Logan’s tea. “And I’m guessing the tea is too judging by how much you face screws up when you drink it. You could’ve been just a regular customer, but I’ve seen you at the library and the park, and I don’t doubt that you were at the record store too. And the people around here get really gossipy, so I knew that you were only here on the days that I showed up.” He leaned back in his chair, a smirk on his face. “So I’ll ask again: how much is he paying you?”

Logan looked him in the eye before sighing. “Too much to say no.” He carefully folded up his crossword puzzle. “Though I’m quite uncertain as to why this job exists in the first place. You obviously have no intention on running away again-”

“Running away?” Logan looked up to see Virgil confused and slightly angry. But Logan had dealt with enough people to see the acting for what it really was. “I was kidnapped and held against my will!”

Logan scoffed. “Kidnapped?” He straightened his tie as he spoke. “You disappeared in the middle of the night from a building whose security rivals the White House. There was no sign of struggle, nor was there a ransom note. Either your kidnapper was an extremely intelligent individual who wanted more than just money from Mr. Sanders, or you left on your own free will. And judging by my observations and personal experience, I’m inclined to believe the latter.”

Virgil stared for another moment before laughing. “Well, would you look at that! You’ve got a brain to match your bark. And I assume you bite, too. Because there’s no way you’re some random civilian. So, what’s your real job?”

Logan coughed. “I must admit, I’m not used to having my job description be, ‘keep client  _ alive. _ ’”

Virgil blinked, and Logan suddenly felt like he’d said something wrong. “You stressed the word  _ alive. _ ” Now it was Logan’s turn to blink. “You wouldn’t need to stress it unless there was something specific about keeping them alive.” His eyes suddenly lit up. “Are you an assassin?!”

Logan blushed. “Essentially. But now I am your bodyguard.”

Virgil vibrated in his seat. “How many people have you killed? Do you usually kill good people or bad people? Or does it only depend on the money? I wouldn’t blame you for that. The economy sucks.”

Logan chuckled. “I mainly target corrupt politicians and gang leaders. I turn down any jobs that involve families or children.”

Virgil mouthed the words ‘corrupt politicians and gang leaders’ before gasping. “Do you know Logan Croft?”

Logan blinked. “How do you know that name?”

Virgil gasped again, stars in his eyes. “Are  _ you  _ Logan Croft?” Logan decided to nod his head. Virgil already knew about his job, and his father was paying Logan. It wouldn’t hurt to give out his name, just this once. “Oh my gosh, you’re the guy who killed Jacob Smith four years ago! How did you do it? They say he was impenetrable behind his gang and-” Suddenly his phone ringed. “One moment, please.” He pressed the phone up to his ear, and Logan could hear his boss’ muffled voice on the other end, though he couldn’t understand what he was saying. “Hey, Dad. Yeah, I’m at a cafe. Yeah, I can come home for lunch. See you then. Bye.” He turned back to Logan with a grimace. “Sorry, I’ve gotta go. Maybe we can have a full conversation next time?”

Logan nodded. “I ask that you don’t tell Mr. Sanders about our conversation, or that you know about having a bodyguard. I’m afraid he might fire me if you do.”  _ Or expose me to the world.  _

Virgil nodded. “Of course!” He stood there awkwardly for a moment. “Well, you know where I am… see ya, bye!” And with that, Virgil walked out of the cafe. Logan waited a few minutes before following. It was just to make sure that Virgil got home safe. It was part of his job, after all. It wasn’t because he found Virgil interesting and funny and cute-

Logan frowned, shaking away the thought. He would  _ not  _ get attached to Virgil. It would only serve as a cruel reminder of Roman. Roman and Logan had met in middle school and dated for several years. But Roman had fallen in love with another man a few years ago. And while Logan is polyamorous, it was dangerous enough to be attached to one civilian. So, they broke up on friendly terms. Logan had never felt so… empty, after leaving Roman. It had felt like Roman had taken Logan’s ability to be happy. Logan hadn’t fully smiled or laughed since their breakup…

Except for today, when he’d talked to Virgil. Virgil reminded Logan of Roman. He was charismatic, sarcastic, and funny. And with every butterfly that formed in Logan’s belly, a new knife stabbed him through the heart. Being with Virgil would only remind Logan of what he could no longer have with Roman. So, Logan would keep his distance (even if he could no longer do so literally).

* * *

When Virgil got home that day, he had a brief lunch with his father before retreating to his room for the day. Once he got there, he immediately pulled his phone out of his pocket and started texting his boyfriend.

_ V- (3:05 PM) Hey, your ex’s name was Logan Adsrum Croft, wasn’t it? _

_ R- (3:06 PM) Yeah, why? _

_ V- (3:06 PM) Guess who my hot new bodyguard is ;) _


	19. Day 19: 19th Century

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patricia Sanders is the only child of wealthy aristocrat Thomas Sanders. She attends a local aristocrat party expecting to feel the same loneliness and uncomfortableness that she usually feels. But when Remus Royale discovers her (or rather, his) biggest secret and offers a once-in-a-lifetime deal, will Patricia gain the confidence to be comfortable in her own skin?  
> Patton POV, genderfluid!Patton/Patricia, slight Intruality with background Intrulogical.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: There will be internalized misgendering because Patricia is a ‘good girl’ and being genderfluid at the time was a big no-no. This fic does not condone misgendering or any transphobic/misogynistic/homophobic opinions that characters in this fic may have.

Patricia Sanders was the perfect (and only) child of Lord Thomas Sanders. She did everything her father asked of her. She always smiled and told witty jokes to make him happy. She learned how to read and write and be a good wife. She could sing and play the piano and sew. She never stepped out of line and never spoke out of turn.

But just because she was the perfect daughter, didn’t mean that she  _ felt  _ perfect. Most days, Patricia couldn’t even look at her own body without sneering in disgust. Her maids told her she simply lacked confidence in herself, and that she was beautiful both inside and out (the word ‘beautiful’ made Patricia’s skin crawl, but she didn’t realize why for a very long time). Somedays none of her dresses looked appealing to wear. Every time, her father would buy her a new dress; and every time, the new dress would make her feel worse. Somedays her hair felt too heavy on her head; it only felt better after she ‘accidentally’ cut it off at age 9.

Most days, Patricia felt like the perfect little girl. But somedays she felt like someone else. And as she blossomed from a little girl to an eligible young woman, her ‘someone else’ days became more and more frequent. Patricia never learned what was wrong with her…

* * *

...is what she wanted people to think. Because in reality, Patricia figured it out when she was 15. An anonymous author had published an outlandish book simply titled ‘Love.’ It was a book that could commonly be heard about through peasant’s gossip, though it was secretly whispered about between the aristocrats and nobles. While it wasn’t polite to speak of such  _ vulgar  _ material, the contents were too outrageous to not talk about. The first issue was that the male protagonist falls for another man. If  _ that  _ wasn’t scandalous enough, the later scenes of…  _ adultery  _ are most shocking. The love interest is described as a male, but in the writing is given breasts and other biologically female parts. They even have a child at the end! So what did it mean? Some gossiped that the author described the love interest as a man due to the vulgarity and outspokenness of the character, to show that she acted more like a brute than a lady. Others speculated that it was about a married man having impure thought for another man, and that he’s imagining his forbidden love while being pleasured by his wife. Patricia had stolen the book from one of the maids and read it for herself, and she found herself relating to the love interest in more ways than one. What if the love interest was just a man born in a woman’s body? Was  _ she  _ a man born in a woman’s body?

Patricia had nearly burned the book after that thought. That was absurd! She’s a woman, for god’s sake!

Most days, Patricia though that the book was ridiculous. She was a woman, and she felt like a woman. But somedays, Patricia would carefully remove the book from its hiding place and reread it. And every time, the love interest became more and more relatable. But Patricia’s favorite character was their son, Patton.

_ Patton,  _ what an interesting name.  _ Patton Sanders. _

* * *

Patricia sighed as she sipped her champagne. Her father had encouraged her to go to one of the local aristocrat’s birthday party. Sadly, today was one of  _ those  _ days. Her hair was tied up into a tight bun, so she wouldn’t feel the urge to yank it out every time it brushed against her neck. She wore no jewelry, knowing she would just feel worse if she wore it. She wore very little makeup, and her dress was extremely modest. When Patricia felt like this, she learned that looking at her skin made her uncomfortable. So, she would cover it up. While these were simple solutions, they left her hot and uncomfortable. She was only an hour into the party, and already Patricia wanted nothing more than to go home and take a bath before bed.

“A lovely night, isn’t it?” Patricia looked to her right and bit back a gasp. Standing there with another flute of champagne was Lord Remus Royale. Lord Royale was known as a flirt; he’d been known to socialize and flirt with multiple women, yet he’d turned down every marriage proposal. His excuse seemed to be that he refused to marry a woman that would potentially fall for his twin brother, Roman.

Patrica then seemed to realize that he was talking to  _ her,  _ and forced out a response. “It is.” She took another sip of champagne before speaking. “For what do I owe this pleasure, Lord Royale?” Patricia wanted nothing more than for the young lord to go away. While Lord Royale was  _ extremely  _ attractive, to be flirted with while feeling like  _ this  _ would be pure torture.

Lord Royale laughed. “Please, no need for pleasantries. Just Remus, if you will.”

Patricia gave him a curtsy. “Patricia Sanders. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Remus.”

Remus smiled. “Well, Patricia, may I have this dance?” If this had occurred yesterday, Patricia’s heart would have burst at the way her name rolled off of Remus’ tongue. Tonight, it made her skin crawl.

Patricia smiled. “Well, I couldn’t say no to such a gentleman.” They deposited their flutes on a nearby tray before making their way to the dance floor. Remus was surprisingly gentle with his touches, putting more pressure on her hand than her waist. Patricia was thankful for that, knowing that any more pressure on her waist would make her squirm uncomfortably. They danced through several songs before Remus spoke up.

“Can you see the woman behind me?” Patricia looked over Remus’ shoulder and nodded when she saw Lady Maybell. “How good do you think she is in bed. Actually, how well do you think her dance partner is in bed?”

Patricia blushed. “A lady shouldn’t think such thoughts.” Patricia ignored the way her stomach twisted at her own words.

Remus chuckled slightly, moving forward to where his mouth was mere inches from Patricia’s ear. His breath made her skin hot, but his words made her blood run cold. “But you don’t  _ want  _ to be a lady, do you?”

Patto-  _ Patricia  _ let out a shaky breath. “W-what are you implying?”

Remus chuckled again, not moving from his place uncomfortably close to ~~his~~ _her_ neck. “I’ve heard a lot about you, heir of Thomas Sanders. How you tried to wear a suit at Lord Smith’s party. How you once cut your hair up to your ears. Even now, you refuse to wear jewelry and your dress is more modest than a nun’s. You’re not the first person I’ve met who was born in the wrong skin.”

It took all of Patricia’s willpower to not cry. Patricia was a good girl! And here  ~~ he ~~ she was, having  ~~ his ~~ her biggest secret exposed by a stranger. “And what if I do feel that way? Are you going to have me burned at the stake? Or perhaps you’ll spread enough rumors to ruin my life.”

Remus leaned back to where he was now facing Patricia, and ~~he~~ **_she_** could see the smug smirk on his face. “Not at all! In fact, I have a proposition for you. Meet me on the eastern balcony in fifteen minutes.” The song ended, and he knelt down to kiss ~~his~~ **_her_** hand. “It was a pleasure to meet you, m’lady.”

Patricia forced herself to smile. “Likewise, Lord Royale.”

Patricia should just go home. Or enjoy the rest of the party and avoid Remus. But the young lord held the secret that could ruin the lives of both Patricia and her father. So, after visiting the washroom and wishing the host of the party a happy birthday, she made her way to the eastern balcony. It was completely empty besides Remus, who was drinking another flute of champagne. Another flute sat on the railing next to him. Remus was staring out into the night sky, a small smile on his face. As Patricia approached, he began to speak. “Did you know that the stars form patterns in the sky? Each pattern has its own name and story behind it.” He gestured to the flute on the railing, and Patricia took it.

Patricia hummed as she took a sip of the champagne. “I did not know that.”

Remus then faced her, yet the far-away look was still in his eyes. “My gardener told me that. He is very smart. Almost every night, I sit out in the garden and listen to him tell stories of the stars. Every story is breathtaking.” He chuckles, though it’s much softer than his chuckles in the ballroom. “Though I can’t tell what steals my breath; the words themselves or my gardener.” His gaze focuses on Patricia now, and it feels like he’s staring through her soul. “He’s like you, feeling like he was born in the wrong body. I call him a man simply because he wishes to be one.” His gaze shifts back to the stars, and they seem to give him encouragement. “I am madly in love with him. And even if he called himself a lady, we could never marry due to my status as a noble.” He took a sip of champagne. “So here is my proposition: you wish to be happy with who you are on the inside, and I wish to be happy with my gardener. But we are both expected to marry other nobles who don’t see such things as acceptable. So, why don’t we marry each other?” He gently pries her hand from where it’s gripped the railing, and she lets him. “Inside my manor, you will be able to dress and be called whatever pleases you. There will be no expectations or conformities. Outside of my manor, we will be husband and wife. If we fall in love along the way, then hooray! You’ll just have to share with Logan. If not, we can remain friends. All I ask is that you produce me at least one heir and have no children that aren’t mine. I will do the same.”

Patricia stood there in shock as she processed the information. The thing that stood out to her the most was that  _ Lord Royale was proposing to her!  _ And if what he promised was true… “What if I decline?”

Remus nodded. “Then I’ll be on my merry way and you’ll never have to see me again.” He then smirked. “But something tells me you want this just as much as I do.”

Patricia bit her lip. “May I have a week to think about it?”

Remus smiled. “Of course! Marriage is a big step. Just send me a letter once you’ve made your decision.” He brought her hand up to his lips. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Patricia-”

“Patton.” Remus froze, the hand still touching his lips. ~~Patri~~ _Patton_ continued. “Some days my name is Patricia. But other days, like today… my name is Patton.”

_ “Patton,”  _ Remus spoke his name like it was a holy prayer, and Patton felt himself shiver in the most pleasurable way. Remus kissed his hand again, and this time it felt more important. More sensual. More  _ personal.  _ “It was a pleasure to meet you, Patton Sanders.”

As Remus walked away, Patton felt himself blush as he smiled to himself. That was the first time anyone had ever called him Patton, and for once Patton felt  _ perfect. _


	20. Day 20: Single Parent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan needs a nanny to watch his 3 sons. Patton wants to take care of kids. Sparks fly and chaos ensues.  
> Patton POV, logicality with creativitwins, familial Intruprinxiety and dad!Logan  
> Ages: Logan(37), Patton(35), Remus and Roman(7), Virgil(10)

Patton smiled at the cheery tune the chimes played as he stepped into the cafe. He checked his phone again to reread the email he had been given just a few minutes ago. _He said he was sitting at one of the tables wearing a black polo, blue tie, and glasses._ Patton fought back a giggle as he scanned the tables. _This reminds me more of a blind date than a job interview- there he is!_ Patton quickly made his way over to the small table in the back of the cafe. His potential employer was hunched over his phone, reading an article of some sort. Patton stopped when he was a foot away from the table and spoke up. “Mr. Sanders?” The man’s head shot up, and Patton fought down a blush. He had assumed that Mr. Sanders would be an older man, in his late 40s or early 50s. He didn’t look a day over 30. _No time for gay panicking!_ Patton fiddled with the sleeves of his cardigan. “I’m Patton Hart. The one applying for the nanny position?”

Mr. Sanders nodded. “Of course. Take a seat.” He gestured to the seat across from him and Patton sat down eagerly, trying not to let his nervousness show. As far as Patton was aware, he basically already had the job, and this was just a customary interview to make sure that Patton didn’t lie about anything in his application. Still, Patton couldn’t help but fear nervous. Patton tried to ignore his anxiety and focus on what Mr. Sanders was saying. “So, Mr. Hart-”

“Please, Mr. Hart’s my father. Call me Patton, please.” If Mr. Sanders noticed the was that Patton nervously tugged on his cardigan sleeves, he didn’t say anything.

“Patton, then.” Patton smiled appreciatively. “Would you like to order a beverage before we begin?” Mr. Sanders used his coffee cup to gesture towards the front of the cafe.

Patton blushed. “No thank you. I tend to talk more with my hands when I’m excited or nervous. I’ve learned from past experience to not have hot drinks around when that happens” Patton used his head to gesture towards his hands as he spoke, which were gesturing as he spoke.

Mr. Sanders gave him a look before continuing. “Alright. I will go over your application and ask a series of questions. If you feel as if a question is too invasive, please let me know.” Patton nodded, and with that, the interview began. “Patton Sanders, 35 years old. Raised in North Carolina. According to your previous employers, you’ve done extremely well with children in the past. You’ve dealt with kids at almost every age. You’ve been shown to successfully perform both the Heimlich Maneuver and CPR. You have also been employed as a tutor and have multiple years of volunteer work at shelters and public schools. It says here that you recently moved here a few weeks ago. Are you intending on pursuing any other job while employed as a caretaker?”

Patton shook his head. “The original offer you gave should be enough for me to afford my apartment.”

Mr. Sanders blinked, and Patton suddenly felt like he’d done something wrong. “I’m afraid there was a communication error somewhere. Allow me to clarify: you would be staying in my house while working for me.”

Now it was Patton’s turn to blink. “What?”

Mr. Sanders frowned, adjusting his glasses as he spoke. “I am very dedicated to my job, Patton. Sadly, my job requires me to have extremely flexible hours. It would be incredibly redundant to have you stay from 8 AM to 5 PM, then have to hire a sitter from 5 PM to 11 PM. There would also be several benefits on your end. Unless you started using an excessive amount of food or utilities, you would not have to pay for food or housing. You would be staying in the guest bedroom, and you would have every Sunday off, which is my day off as well.”

Patton rubbed the back of the neck sheepishly. “I think I remember reading that in the advertisement, but I assumed it was less of a requirement and more of an option.”

Mr. Sanders steepled his fingers as he stared at Patton. “I apologize, but it would be necessary for you to stay in the guest bedroom in order to ensure that my children have constant adult supervision. If you do not wish to be employed, I completely understand-”

“No!” Both men were surprised by Patton’s shouting. Patton blushed as he continued. “I still want the job, I just didn’t want to waste your living space if it was optional. If it’s mandatory then I’ll take the room. I’ll just have to wait for my lease to end in a few weeks.”

Mr. Sanders nodded. “Alright. Next question: why do you wear your cardigan around your neck?”

Patton smiled. “I don’t get cold very easily, but I always have my cardigan on me just in case. Besides, it makes me look more friendly and fun. Kids like to call it my superhero cape!” He struck a dramatic pose, and he felt a surge of triumph when Mr. Sanders' mouth quirked up slightly.

They went through several more questions before Mr. Sanders smiled, holding out his hand. “I believe you would get along well with my children. I understand that you would like to wait until your lease ends to move in, but I would appreciate it if you start a daily shift on Sunday. I will be there to make sure that you interact well with them. Does that sound satisfactory?”

Patton nodded, shaking Mr. Sanders' hand. “Sound’s like a plan, Mr. Sanders!”

“Please, call me Logan.” Patton smiled as he heard the name. _Logan. It’s fitting._

“Well, Logan, what are your kids like? I was given general ages and names, but nothing else. What are their favorite colors and activities? Any allergies or disliked food? Any mental illnesses, disorders, or sensitive topics that I should know about?”

Logan took out his phone and showed Patton the lock screen. It was a photo of Logan with three children. Two identical twins posed in red and green respectively, while the third child looked slightly older with a baggy purple hoodie. “The twins are Roman and Remus, 7 years old. Roman always dresses in red, while Remus dresses in green. They both have extremely vivid imaginations, and they get upset when you don’t participate. Roman has some confidence issues, while Remus suffers from intrusive thoughts from time-to-time. Virgil is 10. He’s almost always wearing that hoodie. He says that his favorite color is black, but it’s actually dark purple. He has been known to suffer through anxiety attacks, and he tends to have trust issues towards strangers. Virgil prefers to be left to his own devices, and music tends to help when he’s stressed. The twins tend to find amusement in pulling pranks on Virgil, though he does not appreciate the sentiment. They all enjoy watching Disney movies and all have artistic talent. There are no food allergies to speak of. All of them were closed adoptions, so I would appreciate it if you don’t bring up their birth parents. That is all you should need to know before you meet them.”

Patton smiled as he listened to Logan describing his kids. It was clear from the tone of his voice that he deeply cared about his kids. “I’m sure they’re lovely. I can’t wait to meet them!”

Logan nodded, moving to stand up. “I assure you they’re just as excited to meet you. I’ll email you my address.”

“Oh, wait!” Patton reached into his pocket and pulled out an ink pen. He then grabbed a clean napkin from the table and scribbled his number onto it. He handed the napkin to Logan. “Here’s my phone number. It would be best if we have each other’s numbers in case of an emergency.”

Logan took the napkin, and Patton suppressed the shiver he felt from where their fingers met. “I’ll be sure to contact you with my address as soon as I get home.”

Patton blushed, moving to leave. “Alrighty then. See you on Sunday!”

Logan nodded. “Farewell.”

Patton smiled before hurrying out of the cafe. He quickly drove to his apartment, not stopping until he was inside of his (soon to not be) home. He gently caressed his own fingers, blushing as he remembered the electricity he’d felt from their fingers touching.

Patton shook his head, but the grin and blush he had never faded. “Logan Sanders.” He whispered to himself. Patton then tilted his head curiously. _Logan Sanders…where have I heard of that name before?_

Patton went over to his bed and pulled out his laptop. _Search: Logan Sanders._ Patton flipped through several websites until he saw Logan’s face. He quickly clicked on the article and gasped.

 _Logan Sanders, 37 years old, was just appointed as the CEO of Logic Tech two months ago. That’s where I recognize his name! I can’t believe he works for Logic Tech. Isn’t that the same company that_ **_he_ ** _used to work for?_

_Bzzz._

Patton slammed his laptop shut, suddenly feeling like he’d done something wrong. Was this technically invading Logan’s privacy? It was an article that Patton could easily access at any time (he was pretty sure he’d read it before), but did that mean it was okay? Was Patton in the wrong for searching for Logan’s name?

Patton’s phone buzzed again and he nearly threw his laptop. He tried to calm his racing heartbeat as he checked his phone.

_?- (4:13 PM) Salutations. This is Logan Sanders._

_?- (4:14 PM) Is this the correct number?_

_P- (4:14 PM) Patton Hart here! You have the right number_

_L- (4:14 PM) That is good_

Patton was then sent an address.

_P- (4:15 PM) You want me to start on Sunday, right? What time?_

_L- (4:15 PM) 3:00 sounds amenable. Since it is my day off, you won’t need to be there in the morning._

_P- (4:16 PM) Alrighty then! I’ll see you on Sunday!_

Patton smiled as he turned off his phone. He was going to meet the children on Sunday! _And seeing Logan again would be a nice bonus._


	21. Day 21: Professional Rivals AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan and Janus get ready in the morning  
> Logan POV, Loceit with background Dukexiety and Royality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, sorry for how short this chapter is. I'm leaving in 20 minutes to go on a camping trip. I won't have access to the internet until Sunday afternoon. Saturday's chapter will be posted on Sunday along with Sunday's chapter. I also won't be able to respond to comments until Sunday (Please don't stop commenting, your comments make my day. Just don't get sad when I don't immediately respond)

_ BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!BEEP! _

Logan grumbled to himself as he stretched his arm out, slamming his hand on the infernal alarm clock. A hand slipped under his shirt from behind and circled around his ribs. Logan smiled as he leaned into the touch, not opening his eyes. “Baaaaaabe.”

Logan’s boyfriend tightened his grip, pulling Logan closer. He nuzzled his nose into Logan’s neck, and Logan sighed at the sensation. “Yes, dear?” Logan moved to get up, but the arm pulled him back down, and the nuzzling morphed into small kisses along Logan’s neck.

Logan huffed, attempting to act like the kisses weren’t affecting him. But he could feel the heat from his own blush increase with every kiss. “You know ‘what.’ We need to get up.”

The hand around Logan’s waist moved upwards to slowly massage Logan’s chest, and Logan groaned at the sensation. A second hand joined the first, and each digit expertly mapped out every inch of Logan’s skin. One of the fingers lightly pressed on a mark left from last night, and Logan moaned into the touch. “We can sleep in, just this once.”

Logan sighed as the hands proved their experience, shifting from Logan’s chest to his arms, relieving tension and turning his into putty on the bed. “People will start talking.”

Logan gasped as his ear was nipped. “Society is bullshit. Besides, we’re rich. We can do what we want.”

Logan huffed. “Even so, I would rather not be cornered in the middle of the hallway by Patton and forced to explain why I’m late to work and unable to walk straight.”

Logan moaned as his posterior was pressed towards his boyfriend’s groin. “But what about being on time and unable to walk straight?”

Logan hummed as if he was thinking it over. “Well, we don’t have much time left so we’ll have to do so in the shower. Besides, we both need to bathe after last ni-oof!” Logan was caught off as he was suddenly pushed off of the bed. He landed on the soft carpet and glared up at his boyfriend. “Ass.”

His boyfriend gained an offended look from his spot on the bed. “Two years of dating, and yet you still forget my name? Oh, the agony!”

Logan huffed. “Janus Alexander Williams, you help me up right this instant or I won’t touch you for the next week!”

Logan squeaked as he was suddenly being carried bridal-style. He glared at Janus, who was smirking smugly. “Well, there’s no time to waste! You said I could make sure that you can’t walk straight for the rest of the day, and I intend on doing so.”

Logan huffed as he was carried to the bathroom, but he couldn’t stop the smile on his face nor the blush on his cheeks. “That’s not what I said and you know that.”

Janus laughed, and it was (figurative) music to Logan’s ears. “Yes, but we both know that you won’t stop me, darling~”

* * *

Logan winced as he sipped his coffee, adjusting his sitting position to help lessen the pain on his backside. He began to skim the newspaper as he heard Janus snort. “Darling, did you know that the CEO of Logical Technologies is actually married?”

Logan raised his eyebrows, though his shoulders were shaking in silent laughter. “I did not, actually.” He skimmed the paper and laughed. “Did you know that the CEO of Hydra Head Technologies is currently having a sexual affair with his assistant?”

Janus gasped dramatically. “That is shocking. Especially since his assistant is married. And monogamous.” He sat down his paper as his shoulders started to shake. “And asexual.”

The two shared a laugh at that. Logan smiled as he sipped his coffee. “How is Virgil, by the way?”

Janus smirked. “He apparently told Remus at some point that he liked romantic gestures. Yesterday the oaf sent him over almost $100 worth of roses and chocolate.” He rolled his eyes. “I swear to god, if I see them making goo-goo eyes from across the room one more time, I’m going to have an aneurism.”

Logan sighed. “At least they know how to keep their hands to themselves. I understand that Patton and Roman just got engaged, but the number of times that I’ve caught them making out in the storage closet…”

Janus smirked. “Aw don’t be so harsh on them. Do you remember all of  _ our  _ storage closet escapades?”

Logan blushed. “Of course I remember. But that still doesn’t excuse it. Besides, we’ve learned to keep our private lives private.”

Janus scoffed. “Please. The only reason we aren’t just as bad is because we don’t work in the same building.”

Logan kept silent, taking a sip of coffee and wincing as he shifted in his chair.

* * *

_ Knock knock knock _

“Come in.” Logan suppressed his wince as he shifted in his chair. Patton soon walked in, his appearance slightly disheveled. “Hart, take a seat.”

Patton huffed as he sat down. “Your gonna have to call me Patton eventually, sir. Soon there will be two Mr. Knightlys working around here, and you’ll have to use my first name then.”

Logan shook his head, smirking slightly. “I’ll find a way around that.” He purposefully gave Patton a once over. “I’m assuming you’ve seen Mr. Knightly today?” Patton blushed and nodded. “Then I assume you have the designs for the GXA prototypes?”

Patton nodded, handing over the papers. “Everything is ready, and the prototype should be ready to launch by next week.”

Logan eyed the designs and the reports that followed. “Could we have it fully functional before the showcase next Friday?”

Patton blinked. “We should.” He suddenly smirked. “Are you going to rub it in Williams’ face?”

Logan sighed. “Hart, not everything has to do with Janus Williams.”

Patton giggled. “Please, the two of you have been at each other’s throats for years. And you always find a way to subtly insult Hydra Head at every showcase.” Patton suddenly gasped. “Unless you’re trying to impress someone?!”

Logan shook his head. “No, Hart. I just want to be able to showcase it next Friday.”

Patton sighed. “Sir, you need to get out more. Find your true love!”

Logan frowned slightly. “I am perfectly content with my relationship status at the moment. Please focus on your own relationship, Hart. You are dismissed.” Patton got up to leave, and Logan let out one last comment as he left. “And stop wasting company time with Mr. Knightly in the closet!” The door shut, but Logan was sure he could hear the embarrassed giggle as Patton walked away.


	22. Day 22: Futuristic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a world where cybernetic enhancements have reached the point of genetic inheritance and only those without them are seen as ‘pure,’ Logan is a mechanic attempting to hide his cybernetic status. He somehow catches the eye of Prince Roman, a human who has an interesting view of the Enhanced.
> 
> Logan POV, Logince

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just got back from camping! I'm a little crispy and very tired, but I'm gonna post this chapter and finish Day 23's chapter before laying down.
> 
> I'm actually really sad that I'm on Day 22 and this is the first Logince chapter I've written. Hopefully, this will make up for it :)

Logan sighed as he attempted to weld the two pieces of metal together. The sun hadn’t even risen yet, but Logan wanted to get this done as soon as possible. The client had promised to pay him extremely well if he had it done in under 24 hours. And if there were two things that Logan would admit to being, it would be determined and dirt poor.

“Ah!” Logan hissed as his right hand was burned through the glove. He winced, fully removing his right glove before moving to the back room, away from any potential prying eyes. He used his teeth to remove his gloves, not wanting to get anything on his burn. His navy blue metal hand gleamed softly in the light, and Logan resisted the urge to scowl at it. He grabbed some burn cream and bandages from a nearby table and started to wrap his right hand up. The sharp contrast between his hands drew in Logan’s attention. Right and Left. Weak and Strong. Flesh and Metal. Pure and Enhanced.

Logan scowled. A little over 300 years ago, people first began obtaining cybernetic enhancements to make up for missing limbs. Soon, there were entire generations that used cybernetic enhancements to create ‘perfect’ children. Around 80 years later, science had evolved to where cybernetic enhancements could be applied down to the cellular levels. Any inhuman enhancements could now be chosen before birth, and could even be genetically inherited. After 200 years of cybernetic enhancements, the ‘Enhanced’ took up over 40% of the population. That’s when people began to discriminate against the Enhanced, saying that their enhancements made them ‘less than human.’ It didn’t help that by that point, 90% of the Enhanced were born with their enhancements. It was soon seen as wrong for Enhanced to hold positions of power, or have any children. The people without cybernetic enhancements were seen as ‘the Pure.’

Logan sighed. While there weren’t any legal ramifications to being an Enhanced, there was still major discrimination against them. If anyone saw his external enhancement, he’d be fired within the week. Most people had obvious external enhancements, such as metal eyes and limbs. Very few were born with internal enhancements, such as multiple sex organs or a cybernetic immune system. Logan had a few internal enhancements, but his only external enhancement was his left hand, which he tended to cover up with his gloves.

Logan sighed as he finished wrapping up his human hand. He quickly put back on the gloves before heading back to the front of the repair shop. He was surprised to see someone there, staring at the metal pieces he had been working on. Logan cleared his throat. “Excuse me, can I help you?”

The person jumped, turning to face Logan. Most of their face was obscured by their hood, but Logan could vaguely make out their tan skin and reddish-brown hair. “Hello! I’m looking for Logan Croft; is he here today?”

Logan adjusted his glasses while staring down at the stranger. Not for the first time in his life, Logan was thankful for the glasses. Most Enhanced had perfect hearing and eyesight, so he was usually assumed to be one of the Pure. “My name is Logan Croft; what do you need today?”

The stranger looked through the window towards the street, where the entire street was empty. He then turned back and pulled down his hood. Logan felt his heart stop. The stranger was extremely attractive, with big green eyes and plump pink lips. The stranger smiled. “Greetings, my name is Roman. I was told that you are the best mechanic in the kingdom.”

Logan felt a small amount of recognition at the name, but he couldn’t remember where he had heard it. He then blushed at the compliment. “Nonsense, I’m sure there are plenty of mechanics in the area that surpass me in terms of skill.” Besides, even if Roman was being truthful, people didn’t hire Logan that often. Especially since he didn’t discriminate against the Enhanced.

Roman shook his head. “Even if they are skillful, it is rumored that there is no problem that you cannot find the solution to. Even when you are physically incapable of fixing it, you can easily discover and explain what the issue is and how to fix it. That is deeply admirable.” He turned towards the metal he had been observing previously. “What is this supposed to be? I’m afraid I’m not well-versed with machines, and it’s been bugging me since I got here.”

Logan quickly answered, grateful to no longer be under Roman’s praise. “It’s a compact engine for a replacement eye. My client suffered from minor head trauma, and one of the wires snapped. Since the engine is so small, I had to completely take it apart before I could repair the wire. I am currently piecing it back together. With any luck, the engine should be fully repaired before noon.”

Roman turned to stare at Logan. “You have enhanced clients?”

Logan immediately became defensive. “Do you have an issue with that?”

Roman shook his head. “No! It’s just not often that I get to meet mechanics that work on Enhanced. It’s a dying field, sadly.” He sighed. “The world’s prejudice against Enhanced is pathetic, really. It’s not like the Pure are any better biologically. Actually, most Enhanced people are better than the Pure, both biologically and as people in general.”

Logan raised his eyebrows in shock. “That’s a very bold claim.”

Roman scowled. “And what’s wrong with that?”

Logan shrugged, moving to collect the metal pieces around him. “I didn’t say there was anything incorrect with your claim. You’re quite correct, actually. But I’m one of the few people in this area that actually believes that. And the Pure tend to get violent when opposed.”

Roman gasped. “I didn’t realize that things were that bad.”

Logan nodded, not turning to look at him. “If an Enhanced has any visible enhancements, it’s nearly impossible to walk down the street without getting harassed. And if one is getting beaten or even killed, people have learned that it’s best to turn a blind eye. Even if you’re also Pure, if you try and defend the Enhanced you’ll find yourself beaten within an inch of your life. And the royals don’t bat an eye at the loss of a few hundred Enhanced.” He held up the motor he was working on, nearly complete. “That’s why I do this. Even if I can’t stop the Enhanced from getting harmed, at least I can help them back up if they survive.”

Roman stayed silent for a long moment. Logan turned to look at him, and nearly flinched at the cold expression on Roman’s face. Logan was slightly shocked at the fact that Roman knew nothing about the violence against the enhanced. How sheltered would a child have to be to not even know about the people that are beaten out on the street?

Roman suddenly smiled. "Thank you for telling me that. It is quite apparent that I have much to learn." He then pulled an envelope out of his jacket. "The Enhanced are actually what I wished to discuss with you. My dear friend's leg was injured a few days ago. I was wondering if you could examine these photos and see if it is repairable. He's severely wounded in other areas from the attack, so he is currently on bed rest. I will pay any price, I just wish for him to walk again."

Logan took the envelope and grimaced when he opened it. It was filled with photos of the patient's leg. The leg was violet in color, with a giant gash running from the Achilles heel to the knee. Several wires were sticking out, and Logan noticed some serious dents around the ankle. "I'm afraid these photos do not provide enough detail. I will have to view the patient in person. If you could arrive tomorrow at sunrise, I will have everything ready for a thorough examination. I will not ask for any money until I have determined the extent of the damage. Does this sound acceptable?"

Roman nodded. "That sounds perfect! I will be here tomorrow to escort you to him." He bowed his head slightly. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Logan."

Logan smiled, bowing his head in return. "The pleasure was mine, Roman."

* * *

Logan sighed as he popped the eye into its socket. "Janus, you need to stop antagonizing people."

Janus snorted as he moved his eye around. "Honestly, you make such a big deal out of things."

Logan frowned "One day you'll go out there and they won't let you come back alive. Being rich won't protect you forever."

Janus rolled his eyes. The mechanical eye glowed a little as he spoke. "Right, and pretending to be Pure will definitely protect you forever. Especially when you do nothing to hide your sympathy towards fellow Enhanced."

Logan winced. Janus had an internal enhancement that allowed him to taste lies and see when someone was hiding something. Janus had known since the first day he came in here that Logan was Enhanced. "Even so, at least I keep my head down. You need to be more careful."

Janus suddenly froze. Logan was about to ask what was wrong when Janus whispered. "You're lying."

Logan blinked. "What?"

Janus frowned. "Every time we talk, you say that you keep your head down. And every time before now, you've been telling the truth. But today you lied." His eyes widened. "What did you do?"

Logan blushed. "A Pure man walked in here asking for assistance in fixing his Enhanced friend's leg. I'm going with him to visit his friend tomorrow. His ideals were very similar to mine, and I will admit he was rather handsome."

Janus smirked. "So, what's his name? And should I be ready for a wedding anytime soon?"

Logan's blush grew. "We only met today. He's just my client, nothing more." He looked down at his glove, a sense of shame filling him. "I didn't even have the courage to tell him that I'm not Pure."

Janus scoffed. "You just told me that he sees the Enhanced and Pure as equals. And I'm sure he'll understand why you kept it a secret." He moved to lean over the worktable, resting his chin on his hand. "So, what's his name?"

Logan rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "His name is Roman. He's very kind and charming. He also seemed to come from nobility or wealth, since he was essentially oblivious to the street violence."

Janus started staring at him again. Logan tried to figure out what he'd lied about before Janus turned towards the monitor on the workbench. He typed something too fast for Logan to read before the screen showed a head-only picture of Roman. "Is this your Roman?" Logan nodded, confused. Janus pressed a button and the image expanded to show Roman standing in front of a crowd. He wore a white suit with red and gold accents. A sword was sheathed on his side. But what grabbed Logan's attention was that crown on his head. "That is Prince Roman, first in line for the throne." He turned back to Logan. "And not only do you have a crush on him, you also promised to see him tomorrow."


	23. Day 23: Arranged Marriage AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prince Roman has a problem; he was born in the body of Princess Rosaline. In order to reign in their ‘temperamental daughter,’ the King and Queen decide to arrange a marriage between Roman and King Janus of the Northern Kingdom. Roman refuses to fall for such a villain, who’s likely an ugly old man who shares his parents’ values. Roman did not expect his future husband to be so understanding. Or young. Or attractive.  
> Roman POV, Roceit

Roman sighed as he slumped in his chair. His dress was itchy and his corset made it impossible to breathe. Most days, Roman could hole up in his room and wear the loose shirt and pants that he convinced the maids to get him. But he couldn’t do that today. Or ever again, if his parents had anything to say about it.

“Rosaline, straighten your posture this instant!” Roman’s mother whispered harshly from her spot across from him. Roman scowled at the name, but he didn’t say anything about it. He knew by this point that they would just ignore him if he corrected them.

“Yes, mother.” Roman forced himself to sit up, wincing as the corset dug into his ribs. Roman hated this. He hated wearing this stupid dress. He hated his stupid parents that called him that stupid name. Roman hated having to pretend that he’s a princess instead of a prince. And Roman hated Janus, the man who was about to take Roman’s last shred of freedom away.

Janus was the King of Fraus, about a three-day trip north of Sero, Roman’s home country. Roman’s parents, the King and Queen of Sero, had never interacted with Fraus before. But they decided that the only way to reign in their ‘temperamental daughter’ would be to marry Roman off, and Janus was the only royal to accept. So, Janus would visit Roman and his parents once every two weeks to establish a proper courtship before marrying in four months.

Roman nearly growled at the thought. Janus was probably an ugly old man who thinks that Roman’s a woman too. Or maybe he’s an ogre from the stories that the maids used to read, ready to chimp on Roman’s bones the minute his parents give him away. Well, Roman wouldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t lose what shreds of freedom he had left. If Roman couldn’t convince Janus to call off the wedding, Roman would run away and never look back. He would give up his crown in an instant if it meant he could give up the name ‘Rosaline’ forever.

There was suddenly a knock on the door. Roman’s mother gave him one last pointed look before clearing her throat. “Come in.” A servant opened the door to reveal Roman’s father and who Roman assumed to be King Janus. Roman’s mother stood up and Roman stood up, ignoring the urge to sneer. “Ah, King Janus. How lovely it is to meet you.”

Janus bowed his head. “The pleasure is mine, your highness.” He made his way over to the table and held out his hand towards Roman. “And I assume you are my new fiance?”

Roman couldn’t decide if he should blush or sneer. On one hand, Janus was remarkably handsome. Roman’s eyes continued to stray from his youthful eyes to his plump lips. He looked nothing like Roman expected him to be. On the other hand, Roman knew how deceiving looks could be.

Roman placed his hand in Janus’. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He resisted the urge to shiver (from pleasure or disgust, he couldn’t tell) as Janus’ lips brushed against his knuckles. Janus then pulled Roman’s seat out, and Roman sat stiffly in his chair. Janus quickly pushed Roman’s seat in before situating himself on Roman’s right.

Roman tuned out most of the next hour. It was mainly establishing a political unity between the two kingdoms, to assure that the marriage wouldn’t negatively impact either kingdom if things went south (and it would, Roman was confident in that). Roman bunched his skirt in his hands every time his parents called him ‘Rosaline.’ After hearing that name for almost an hour with no escape, Roman was about to rip his dress with how tight his grip was-

A hand gently placed itself on top of Roman’s. Roman was so shocked at the sudden contact that he didn’t realize that his grip had slackened until fingers replaced the fabric between his knuckles. Roman looked over at Janus, who showed no signs that he was even aware of his wandering hand. Roman vaguely heard his mother say ‘Rosaline’ and he felt Janus gently squeeze his hand in… comfort?

Even if Roman wished to follow the discussion at this point, he physically couldn’t. All of his attention was now on the hand in his lap, Janus’ thumb rubbing small circles into his wrist. While it was  _ incredibly distracting,  _ it was also remarkably soothing, and Roman soon felt his eyes grow heavy.

Suddenly the hand squeezed a little tighter and Roman quickly opened his eyes. He blinked sluggishly, not even realizing that he had closed them. He heard Janus speak. “My fiance looks incredibly tired. Perhaps we shall resume this over letter, or at our next meeting?”  _ My fiance… what an odd way to phrase that. _

Roman’s mother smiled in a vague approximation of warmth. “Of course, we’ll escort you to your carriage while Rosaline heads to her chambers. We’ll discuss more on the way there.”

Janus nodded before turning to look at Roman. He grabbed Roman’s hand, the same one he had been holding, before bringing it to his lips. “It has been a pleasure to meet you. I hope our next meeting will be just as enchanting.”

Roman forced himself to smile. “The pleasure was mine, King Janus. I now bid thee goodnight.” And with that, Roman walked the quickest he dared to his bedroom.

Once Roman was in his room, he nearly tore his dress and corset in his haste to remove them. He then changed into a shirt and pants, sighing at how freeing it felt. It wasn’t until Roman had brushed out his hair and made his way to his bed that he saw the bouquet of roses on his vanity. Roman frowned.  _ The maids know not to place things in my bedroom without telling me. So how did this get here? _ The roses had a small card inside of them, and Roman removed it with shaky fingers. It was a small note, but its intent was loud and clear:

_ My friend will arrive at midnight to escort you to a secluded location. Then we may actually talk. _

_ -Your Future Husband _


	24. Day 24: Private Detective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan is a private detective. After a long day at work, he comes home to see Roman Knight in his living room. Roman reputation is questionable at best, but he’s offering a lot of money for Logan to find his brother, Remus.  
> Logan POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this vaguely based off of my crime AU? Yes. Do I particularly care? No.
> 
> So I went through 3 potential pairings (specifically for Logan) when writing this chapter, and now I have no idea how the rest of this AU will go in terms of pairings. Suggestions would be really nice! Just know that:  
> -None of the sides will be unsympathetic  
> -I don't know what roles Janus or Virgil will have  
> -Remus might not be dead (haven't decided yet)

Logan sighed as he turned off his car, taking a moment to lay his head on the steering wheel. He still had an awful headache from the monster of a woman he had to deal with today. She had shown up at his office early yesterday morning, thick tears rolling down her face as she begged him to help her. It had been a simple case: find and document proof of her husband’s infidelity. The main issue was that he wasn’t actually cheating on her, and she thought that she didn’t need to pay the rest of the fee because of that. She even had the gall to offer payment through a sexual favor! After she accused her husband of cheating on her!  _ While her husband was still in the room! _

Logan groaned, feeling his headache worsen just by thinking about his awful day. He forced himself out of his car, ignoring how his head pounded. He noticed that his apartment was already unlocked and sighed in relief; he really didn’t want to have to cook tonight. Logan stumbled through the house, not really paying attention to his surroundings. He called out to his roommate as he went. “Patton, I swear, if I have to deal with another incompetent client that thinks that sexual favors will pay the bills, I will quit.” He heard a giggle from Patton’s room and followed the source, expecting to see Patton watching TV or doing a craft. Instead, he did a double-take.

Roman Knight was in Patton’s room, painting Patton’s nails. Roman, known killer and mob member, known for paying off the police and lining the pockets of multiple politicians. Logan slowly blinked as Patton giggled again. “Hey Lo! Ro said he was a friend of yours, and I invited him over for a manicure!”

Logan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m not drunk enough to deal with this.” He saw Roman whisper something into Patton’s ear and they both giggled. Logan sighed, heading to the kitchen. He grabbed some painkillers and two glasses of scotch as he made his way to his own room. He passed by Patton’s room and poked his head in. “Patton, Roman and I need to speak privately in my room. I’m afraid we might have to postpone movie night.”

Patton waved him off, still giggling slightly. “That’s alright, Lo! Me and Ro already watched some movies today! I’ll probably go to bed soon.”

Logan sighed. “The grammatically correct saying would be ‘Roman and I.’ Goodnight Patton.” Logan made eye contact with Roman before minutely jerking his head as a signal to leave. Roman smirked, standing up. He whispered one last thing into Patton’s ear before sauntering out of the room. Logan saw Patton blush before he closed the door. He handed Roman one of the scotch glasses before walking towards his room. He opened the door and Roman strolled in, lounging on the bed. Logan stepped into the room, shutting the door before downing a good amount of alcohol. “What do you want, Knight?”

Roman gasped in fake-offense, holding a hand to his heart. “No pleasantries for an old friend?”

Logan scoffed. “Since when were we friends?”

Roman laughed. “Since you saved my life.”

Logan sighed, leaning against the wall. “You take one bullet for a stranger and suddenly you have two known killers following you around like stray dogs.” He took another swig of scotch, not looking at Roman. “Speaking of two, where’s your brother? It’s odd to see one Knight without the other.”

Roman’s expression darkened. “That’s what I wanted to discuss with you.” He downed the entire scotch glass in one swig. “A little over a week ago, Remus called me at 9 in the morning. He said that he had something important to tell me. Something that could change everything. I haven’t heard from him since.”

Logan frowned. “One week of no contact? That doesn’t seem like too long. Maybe he just went off the grid?”

Roman shook his head. “We have a system with multiple ways to contact each other. There are dozens of ways for him to say that he’s in danger or perfectly safe. We make sure to contact each other at least once every five days. Today is day eight of no contact.”

Logan took another sip. “You think he’s dead?” Roman nodded, and Logan ignored the sinking feeling in his heart. While Logan pretended to dislike the Knight twins, he did have a soft spot for them. But to hear that Remus was dead... it hurt, more than expected. “So, why are you contacting me if you think he’s dead?”

Roman frowned. “He said that he had something important to tell me. That information most likely got him killed. I need to find Remus’ body and find out who killed him.”

Logan raised his eyebrow. “And why are you asking me? Surely you know that murder’s not my specialty.”

Roman sighed. “You know that the police wouldn’t help me. Plus, you’re the only one I trust right now.” He put his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a stack of twenties. “Find the son of a bitch that killed my brother, and you’ll get even more.”

Logan stared at the money before sighing. “Where was Remus’ last known location?”

Roman’s eyes lit up slightly, but they were still far from their usual shine. “About a 2-hour drive from here.”

Logan took the money and split it in half. “Come pick me up at 7 AM tomorrow. I need to close up the office, then we can head out.”

Roman smiled standing up. “Thank you, Logan.”

Logan shook his head. “Don’t go thanking me yet. I haven’t even found Remus yet.” He downed the rest of the alcohol before growling. “You’re not the only one who wants to make the bastard that killed Remus pay.”


	25. Day 25: Circus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan and Patton are out buying supplies for the circus troop when they find an abandoned baby. Logan tries to dissuade him, but Patton can never leave a child to suffer alone.  
> Logan POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case you're wondering, here is everyone's role at the circus:  
> -Janus: Snakecharmer  
> -Virgil: Beast Tamer  
> -Patton: Strongman  
> -Roman and Remus: Acrobats/Trapeze Artists  
> -Logan: Knife Thrower/Contortionist
> 
> (BTW the baby will be Thomas, it's not an OC)

Logan sighed as he trekked across the field. This was one of the few times that he wished he’d renewed his driver’s license. He looked up at Patton, who hadn’t even broken a sweat as he carried enough bags of groceries to snap Logan’s spine if he had to carry them. Logan was glad that the strongman couldn’t drive, if only because Logan would be too afraid to get in the damn car.

“You know I can carry those bags for you, right?”

Logan shook his head. “Logically, I must do at least _some_ of the work. And the best way to do that would be to carry some of the shopping bags.”

Patton giggled, and Logan marveled at Patton’s voice. It still shocked him to see such a large, burly man with the world’s softest voice. “Lo, you already _did_ some of the work! You made the shopping list and handled the budget and paid and-”

“And _you_ found the majority of the items, plus you’re carrying over 85% of the groceries. Besides, it would do well for my upper-body strength to carry some of them.” Logan was quick to shoot down Patton’s claim, even though it was true. Partially because Logan blushed at the semi-compliment, but also because Patton tended to ignore his own accomplishments in favor of others. The troop was working on helping Patton see his own contributions to the circus.

_Bzzz._

Logan glanced at his phone, frowning when he saw who was texting him. _Janus?_ Logan had expected a text from the twins with random questions, or maybe even Virgil anxiously wondering if they’d gotten everything. Janus usually didn’t text unless it was important. Logan quickly unlocked his phone and read the message.

_J- (3:14 PM) Be careful around the tents and double-check your stuff. Sarah’s escaped_

_L- (3:15 PM) Remind me, which one is Sarah?_

_J- (3:15 PM) The yellow and black aggressive one_

_L- (3:15 PM) Well, isn’t that fortunate? We’ll be back soon_

Logan sighed as he pocketed his phone. “Janus just texted. We need to be more careful around the campsite than usual because one of the snakes escaped.”

“Which one?”

“Sarah.”

Patton hummed. “That’s the one that only likes Janus, right?” That was also odd. Even though Janus was the only one with a specific affinity for snakes, most of his ‘pets’ were well-behaved around the other troop members. But Sarah tended to lash out at anyone who wasn’t Janus. She was even aggressive towards Virgil, their beast-tamer who got along well with almost any animal.

Logan nodded. “We’ll have to keep an eye out for her. It would be most unpleasant to find her in our beds. Or worse, accidentally leave her here to attack whatever unfortunate soul stumbles across her- _what is that?”_

Sitting in the middle of the field, about a hundred feet from Logan and Patton, was what appeared to be a basket. “Maybe someone wanted to have a picnic,” Patto suggested.

Logan frowned. “Perhaps…” He quickened his pace slightly, his curiosity peaking. As he approached the basket, he couldn’t help but let out a gasp in surprise.

Inside of the basket was a baby. The baby appeared to be around a year old, with pale skin and tufts of brown hair. It was sleeping in the basket, snuggling under its blue blanket and a hand curled around-

Logan barely stopped himself from screaming. “Patton- the snake.”

Sarah the snake was curled up under the blanket, only her head sticking out. The baby’s hand layed just over the base of the snake’s head. Logan watched as the snake stuck out her tongue for a few moments before relaxing and going still, seemingly asleep.

Patton gasped. “Isn’t that what the other snakes do when they’re around Janus?”

Logan nodded, not moving his eyes from the child. “We should probably call Janus and ask him to come here and remove Sarah from the infant’s grasp.”

Patton hummed, and Logan felt a pit form in his stomach as he recognized his tone. _“Or-”_

“Patton, no.”

Patton pouted. “But they’re all alone out here! Who knows how long they’ve been out here, all alone!”

Logan frowned. “We barely have enough room for _ourselves,_ much less an infant-”

Patton started bouncing slightly. “They can stay with me! Look, they’re already showing their ability to snake-charm like Janus; maybe we can teach them to hone their skills when they get older!”

Logan sighed in exasperation. “Patton, how are we going to take care of an infant? We belong to a _traveling circus!”_

“We’ll find a way! I’ll be their Happy Pappy Patton!” He gained a sad look in his eyes, and Logan knew he couldn’t say no. “I can’t let them suffer out here. I can’t let them feel alone and afraid. Not like I was.”

Logan’s eyes flickered between Patton and the infant before sighing. They were still roughly half of a mile away from camp. It would be easier to just call Janus to remove the snake, then call the local authorities to take the child to a nearby orphanage. But Logan knew how much that would break Patton’s heart. The strongman obviously saw something familiar in the child, and abandoning it would most likely render all of their previous attempts of repairing Patton’s opinion of himself null. “You take these bags, I’ll carry the infant. We’ll bring it to Janus so he can safely remove the snake. And if you can convince Janus to keep the baby… I’ll help you take care of it.”

Patton squealed softly, and Logan knew he would be squished in a bear-hug if Patton wasn’t carrying all of the groceries. “Thank you thank you thank you, Lo! You won’t regret this, I promise!”

Logan sighed as he carefully picked up the basket, the snake stuck out her tongue for a moment but didn't move beyond that. The baby stayed asleep, blissfully unaware of the snake next to it. Logan felt a moment of peace wash over him as he brushed a strand of hair out from over the infant’s eyes. “I hope I won’t.”


	26. Day 26: Monster Hunter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a world where monsters are real yet seen as myth, Virgil is a hunter witch, meaning that he acts as a bridge between humans and nonhumans. It is a witch's job to help benevolent entities and kill malevolent ones. When Virgil accidentally becomes a target, his friend suggests that he rents out his extra rooms to draw off suspicion, since hunters tend to live alone. Virgil didn’t mean to get three monsters for roommates.  
> Virgil POV. Hunter!Witch!Virgil, Shapeshifter!Logan, Werewolf!Patton, Mermaid!Roman

Virgil hissed under his breath as he stumbled through the front door, his hand pressed against his side to help stem the blood flow. He hurried through the house, almost falling over as his vision swam. As soon as he reached the kitchen, Virgil felt his knees give out. He braced himself on the counter, searching through the cabinets.

“C’mon… Dammit, where is it? I swear to- oh, thank god.”

Virgil’s fingers wrapped around a small green bottle with an eyedropper for a stopper. Virgil removed the dropper with shaky hands and used it to carefully apply it to his wound. The drops burned against his skin, but Virgil grit his teeth and kept going. Eventually, The wound stopped bleeding and began to close on its own. Virgil put away the drops and pulled out a new bottle, a large brown bottle with the label: blood replenish. He took out a measuring cup and poured the right amount before downing the drink in one gulp. The drink was extremely bitter and Virgil resisted the urge to spit it out. Virgil stood there for several minutes, gasping for breath as he slowly recovered from bloodloss.

Once Virgil knew he could walk without falling over, he took notice of his surroundings. He went ahead and shut the door, not wanting to let any bugs in. He then went about cleaning up the bottles and bloodstains that he had just created.

_ Bzzz!Bzzz!Bzzz! _

Virgil sighed before answering the phone. “Hello?”

_ “Hey, Virge! How was your mission?” _

Virgil groaned. “God awful. The Vampires had apparently made a pact with the local Wendigo. It was a massacre. I had to kill half of the Vampires before they would give me the time of day.”

There was a sigh on the other end.  _ “There’s been a spike of magic all around your area. Is there something you’re not telling me?” _

Virgil sighed. “They tried to use my blood for a ritual. It didn’t work, but my blood and magic were being flushed out of me for a few hours. I had to take some phoenix tears and a blood replenisher.”

_ “... You know what that means, right?” _

Virgil groaned. “That ever nonhuman in the area knows that there’s an injured witch hiding amongst them? Yeah, I know.” Virgil flopped down on the couch, ignoring the pain he got from doing so. “I can’t leave this place. I’ve gotta keep tabs on the dragon 20 miles north, and this house is covered with my wards. If any malevolent creature with a magical affinity were to enter this house after I move out, I’d be dead by morning.”

There was a pause.  _ “Maybe you don’t have to.” _

Virgil frowned. “What crazy idea do you have this time?”

_ “Okay, hear me out. Your blood and magic are now extremely detectible, so you need a way to mask your magic and scent. It’s also extremely uncommon to see a witch to live with anyone other than their coven, and your house is really big-” _

Virgil started to grow impatient. “What are you rambling on about?” _   
_ _ “Just rent out your spare rooms!” _

“...What?”

_ “Humans could help mask your scent and draw off suspicion! The only thing better than that would be non-human roommates, but there aren’t many benevolent non-humans in the area. But yeah, humans! The more the better! Then you can keep your house without drawing attention to yourself!” _

Virgil was about to argue before pausing. “That… might work.”

The voice on the other end grew smug.  _ “Of course it’ll work. It’s MY idea!” _

Virgil huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. I’ll have to move all of my witchy stuff to the basement, but then I’ll send out an ad for new roommates. I’ll call you after I get the ad out.”

_ “Hear you then, Virge!” _

* * *

Virgil sighed as he finished cleaning the living room. It had only been three weeks since Virgil sent out the ad requesting for roommates, and he already had all three roommates selected and ready to move in. It seemed like luck was finally on his side.

Virgil sighed his fingers brushed against the wallpaper, where he knew that several dozen intricate runes lay. This house had originally belonged to a witch who would rehabilitate and offer shelter to injured nonhumans. The house itself had dozens of accommodations for different types of creatures, from a lack of dangerous elements, to the saltwater and freshwater pools in the backyard, to the basement used to contain nonhumans that could potentially harm themselves or others. After the witch had died, his son, who had no magical affinity, immediately sold the house. After a few years of humans, the house eventually ended up in Virgil’s possession. Virgil was lucky that most of the house had remained untouched due to the anti-human wards. Sadly, Virgil had to deactivate most of those wards in order to decrease suspicion and allow his roommates to explore the house without hindrance.

_ Knock knock knock _

Virgil quickly moved over to the door, opening it wide. The man on the other side was tall and lanky, with dark hair and pale skin. His black angular glasses framed his dark blue eyes perfectly. He wore a black polo, jeans, dress shoes and a dark blue tie.

“Salutations.” The man said, adjusting his glasses. “You must be Virgil Storm. My name is Logan Croft, one of your new roommates.”

Virgil nodded, ushering the man inside. “Yeah, it’s nice to see you in person instead of video calls.”

Logan nodded. “Agreed. My things should arrive within the hour. Which room is mine?” Virgil quickly led Logan upstairs, making sure to point out the upstairs bathroom before opening the door to Logan’s room. Logan studied the room before nodding. “This should be amenable. I assume we’ll be talking once the others arrive? I would like to have some time to myself until then.”

Virgil nodded. “Of course, man! I’ll be downstairs until then.”

It took around 20 minutes for the other two roommates to arrive. Patton Heart and Roman Knight arrived at almost the same time. Patton was short and chubby, with smatters of freckles and curly blond hair. He had round wired glasses and bright blue eyes. He wore a sky blue polo with khakis, old trainers, and a light grey cardigan wrapped around his shoulders. Roman was taller than Virgil, but not as tall as Logan, with darker skin and well-defined muscles. His hair was bright red (most likely dyed) and his green eyes sparkled. He wore a white dress shirt and pants, with a red jacket and red tennis shoes.

Virgil quickly led the two men inside and showed them their rooms upstairs. He then went to his room, getting ready for the awkward conversation that was bound to ensue. They would probably go over house rules, personal pet peeves and quirks, and overall information about each other. Virgil had already prepared himself for any question he could think of, knowing how difficult it was for him to lie on the spot. Virgil didn’t want to lie, but he couldn’t really say, “I’m a witch that helps benevolent entities and kills malevolent entities,” could he? No, no he could not.

Virgil was going over what he was going to say, when he saw a light go off in the corner of his vision. Virgil frowned, turning towards his desk. /he had deactivated most of his wards, so none of them should be going off, unless-

Virgil gasped as he looked at the glowing runes. Five of the runes were glowing, four of them representing that a nonhuman was in his house. One of those four represented Virgil himself, serving as a base to make sure it was working. The fifth rune showed that Virgil was the only witch in the house. But the other three glowing runes…

_ None of my roommates are human. _


	27. Day 27: Flower Shop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janus is buying flowers for his friend’s birthday. Patton, the cute owner of the flower shop, teaches Janus about the language of flowers.  
> Moceit.

_ Ding! _

“Welcome to  _ Long Thyme, No Seed!  _ I’m Patton he/him pronouns, please! How can I help you?”

Janus offered a small smile to the man at the counter. He wore a light blue polo with the shop’s logo on the breast-pocket. He also had a pair of wire-framed glasses that made his light blue eyes more prominent. He was lightly bouncing as he waited for a response. Janus nodded his head. “Good afternoon, I’m here to pick up some flowers. A bouquet under the name Anguis?”

Patton nodded, “Give me a second, they’re in the back!” As Patton went to grab the flowers (and Janus snuck a peek at the cute man’s ass) Janus approached the counter. He took a moment to observe the flower shop. Hundreds of flowers were intricately placed around the room, each categorized into different sections. Janus read some of the labels: love, friendship, loss.  _ What odd category names. I wonder why he sorted them like this?  _ Patton soon came back, carrying a medium-sized bouquet of white and red flowers. Patton smiled as he turned to the register. “So, who’s the lucky person?”

Janus shook his head as he took out his wallet. “I’m single. These are for my friend, Roman. His birthday party is today and he wants these flowers.”

Patton looked over, confused. “He does know what these flowers mean, right?”

Now it was Janus’ turn to look confused. “Mean?”

Patton nodded, gesturing towards the flowers around the room. “Each flower means different things in different cultures. For example, red roses are a symbol of romantic love and are the main flower for Valentine’s Day.” He gestured back to the bouquet. “If I had a boyfriend to give me flowers, I would swoon at this bouquet.”

Janus tilted his head curiously. “Can you tell me more about what the flowers mean?”

Patton giggled, and Janus fought down a blush. “Of course!” He pointed to each flower in the bouquet as he explained their meanings. “Just as a tip: most red flowers mean love, while most white flowers mean innocence. Red roses for love, white roses for innocence, red carnations for true love, white carnations for innocence, red chrysanthemums for love and desire, gloxinia for love at first sight, and jonquils basically shout ‘love me!’”

Janus nodded. “Roman is a hopeless romantic, but he’s also single, and definitely not pure.” He looked around the room, an idea on his mind. “I know this is rather sudden, but could I purchase a bouquet that better matches his personality? The bouquet doesn’t have to match a color scheme, since I’m still purchasing the original bouquet.”

Patton grinned. “If we have all the flowers in stock, I don’t see why not!” He pulled out a notepad in the shape of a cat’s face. “How would you describe Roman and your relationship with him?”

Janus snorted. “He’s egotistical and prideful, but he has a heart of gold. He’s a theatre major and dramatic to boot. Somedays he’s charming and respectful, other days he’s screaming Disney songs at 3 AM. I’ve been friends with him since childhood. Oh, and I suggest not using black or green. Roman picked red and white flowers because they’re his favorite colors and he wears them all the time. His younger brother, however, prefers black and green, and he might be insulted if those colors are in the bouquet.”

Patton nodded, scribbling down a few more notes. Janus fondly noticed that Patton stuck out his tongue slightly in concentration; and he scrunched his nose slightly every now and then, as if he was trying to remember which flowers to use. “And… there!” Patton looked up giddily, and Janus realized he’d been staring at Patton the entire time. Patton didn’t seem to notice, bouncing around the room. “Well, let’s see… we’ll need amaryllis and tiger lilies for pride, purple carnations for capriciousness, purple chrysanthemums for friendship, heather for admiration… ooh! Your friend likes romantic things, so we can use roses! They’ll have platonic meanings, but it’ll still appeal to his romantic side.” He moved over to the large section of roses, bouncing slightly. “Let’s see… ivory for charm, yellow for friendship, peach for genuineness, pink for admiration… that should do it!” Patton held out the bouquet before gasping. “Oh! I almost forgot about the case!” He giggled. “Silly me! I’ll get you one right away! Any specific shape or color?”

Janus shook his head. “Just a standard vase will do.”

Patton nodded. “Alrighty! Just give me a few minutes to get these spruced up and you should be good to go!”

Patton went to the backroom, and Janus inspected the original bouquet. Who knew that flowers could have such specific meanings?  _ And who knew that there’d be such a cute guy working at the flower shop?  _ Janus suddenly got an idea.  _ Perhaps…  _ Janus quickly got out his pen.

A few minutes later, Patton came back, the flowers arranged into a beautiful clear vase. “Here you go- oh, I didn’t catch your name!”

Janus smiled. “My name is Janus, he/him pronouns.” He paid for the two bouquets and left. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Patton.”

* * *

Around two hours later, Patton was humming to himself as he swept up all the random petals on the floor. He had a dopey smile on his face as he remembered the man who had visited a few hours ago.  _ Janus.  _ He was so suave and confident, and Patton had to run to the backroom twice to keep his blush from showing! Patton hoped that he liked the bouquets (even though they weren’t for him). Oh, Patton could just imagine the perfect bouquet for Janus-

“Patton!” Patton’s eyes snapped up from where they were staring at the wall. Logan, Patton’s friend and part-time employee, was glaring slightly. “That’s the fourth time you’ve sighed in the past 10 minutes. What is the matter with you?”

Patton blushed, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, there was this customer…”

Logan raised his eyebrows. “All of this for one random customer?”

“But he’s amazing, Lo! He’s sweet and charming and single and cute and-”

Logan placed his hands on Patton’s shoulders. “Patton. You need to breathe.” Patton nodded, forcing himself to gulp down some air. “Alright, you obviously have a crush on this customer. Did you get his name?”

Patton nodded enthusiastically. “His name’s Janus Anguis!”

Logan nodded. “Alright. Did you get his phone number, or a promise to see each other again?”

Patton’s face fell. “No.” He gasped. “Oh, Logan! Janus doesn’t even know that I like him! What am I going to do?!”

Logan frowned. “I assume you’ll have to wait for him to go to you.” He rubbed Patton’s arm sympathetically. “If it makes you feel better, we can visit the ice cream shop down the street after we close up shop. I’ll pay.”

Patton giggled quietly, smiling through his unshed tears. “You can’t fool me, Lo.  _ I’ll  _ be paying for my own ice cream, thank you very much!”

Logan sighed semi-dramatically. “If you insist.” He took the broom from Patton’s hand and replaced it with a rag. “Now, the sooner we finish cleaning, the sooner we can have icecream.”

Patton nodded, the pain in his chest easing slightly.  _ Who knows, maybe Janus would visit again tomorrow! _ Patton smiled as he moved to clean the counter.  _ I just have to hope for the future! _

Just as Patton finished wiping off the counter, he noticed something out of the corner of his vision. Patton looked over and frowned. There was a red flower in the middle of the purple chrysanthemums.  _ What is that doing there?  _ Patton approached the flowers, realizing that it was a red chrysanthemum.  _ Love at first sight. Doesn’t that sound familiar.  _ Patton pulled the flower out and was surprised to see a handkerchief tied around the bottom of the stem. There was a small card nestled between the handkerchief and the stem. Patton gently pulled out the card and read it. It was a phone number followed by a message.

_ I don’t know much about flowers, but I believe this one is how I feel about you. _

_ -J.A. _

Patton smiled as he brought the flower to his lips, kissing the petals. While Patton had known the language of flowers for years, he’d never fully understood how much a flower could make you  _ feel. _

Patton giggled.  _ At least I know now. _


	28. Day 28: Fashion and Models

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janus is the heir of the largest fashion business in the world; and said business’ lead model, going by the pseudonym ‘Deceit.’ Virgil is the son of two bakers, dreaming to be a fashion designer and model. Janus decided to be transferred to Virgil’s school, and Virgil crushes on his favorite model.  
> (Basically a Miraculous Ladybug AU without superpowers)  
> Janus/Virgil POV, Anxceit with established Royality and potential Intrulogical

Janus sighed as he all but collapsed into his limo. “ _ Please  _ tell me that my schedule is empty for the rest of the day. I want to get this makeup off as soon as possible.”

Remus, Janus’ assistant, immediately chimed in. “Your schedule is empty for the rest of the day!”

Janus gave Remus a look as the older man giggled. He turned to his other assistant, who was reading something on his tablet. Most likely today’s schedule. “Logan, what’s my schedule for the rest of today?”

Logan looked up, his face impassive. “You have geography at 4, calculus at 5, and fencing at 6:30. Your schedule is free after that.”

Janus turned to glare at Remus. “You told me that my schedule was empty.”

Remus smirked. “You told me to tell you that! Therefore I’m not in the wrong!” He struck a dramatic pose from where he was sitting.

Janus rolled his eyes, cringing as he felt the makeup on his skin and the contact in his eye. “Is it possible to cancel my classes and get this makeup off? I don’t want to break out.”

Logan sighed. “You need to have a stable education, Janus. And it was  _ your  _ idea to use your pseudonym around everyone, including your teachers.”

Janus looked out the window as the car passed by a public school. “What if I didn’t have to…”

Logan and Remus shared a look. Remus raised an eyebrow. Logan furrowed his eyebrows. Remus waggled both of his eyebrows. Logan sighed before speaking. “What are you suggesting?”

Janus looked up at Logan, a new light shining in his eyes. “What if I went to a public school, as Janus Williams? No one knows that I exist, and I could model after school!” He looked back towards the school. “I could go and interact with people my age, and no one would be the wiser. Deceit could be a famous model, and Janus could be a normal teenager.”

Logan and Remus shared another look. Logan raised an eyebrow. Remus shrugged before gesturing to Janus. Logan gave Remus another look before sighing. “You do realize that after this, you will be unable to go back. You would have to stay in school, or visit private tutors as Janus. And you would still have to learn, we wouldn’t be putting you into easy classes.”

Janus nodded. “I understand.”

Remus hummed to himself. “Why do you want to go to public school anyways? If the anonymity were an issue, we could always get you tutors as Janus, not Deceit.”

Janus shook his head. “All of them are the same: homophobic assholes that think they know everything just because they’re being paid to teach me.”

Remus snorted. Logan gave Remus a look, and Remus raised his hands in defense. “What? He’s not wrong.”

Logan sighed before turning to Janus. “You still have to go to your classes today, but I will cancel your classes tomorrow. You also have no photoshoots for the rest of the week, so you needn’t worry about acne. If you still wish to be enrolled in a public school by tomorrow night… I will enroll you to start as soon as possible.”

Janus’ face remained calm, but Logan and Remus had known the teen for long enough to see the excitement bubbling under the surface. “Thank you, Logan, Remus.”

Remus chuckled. “All in a day’s work for Logan and Remus, best assistants in the world!” They all chuckled at that, before the car descended to a comfortable silence.

* * *

Virgil groaned as he stepped into the bakery, nearly wincing as his backpack strap dug into his shoulder. He walked past the random assortment of customers before making his way to the counter. He smiled and waved at his Dad, who was currently handling a customer. Virgil walked past the counter and into the kitchen, where his Papa was stirring some batter while he hummed  _ ‘Oh I Just Can’t Wait To Be King’  _ under his breath.

Virgil smiled softly as he dropped his bag onto the floor. “Hey, Papa.”

Virgil’s Papa smiled, putting down the mixer and wiping his hands off. “Virgil!” He quickly pulled Virgil into a hug. “How was school?”

Virgil groaned. “Just as awful as always.”

His Papa frowned as he placed his hands on Virgil’s shoulders, putting him at arm’s length. “Did you try and make some friends today?”

Virgil sighed, looking at the floor. “Of course I tried, but no one wants to hang out with the loner emo.”

His Papa lightly grabbed Virgil’s chin. “Virgil, please look at me.” Virgil looked up to see his father smiling softly. “What those kids think doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are a Knightly-Hart, and that your Dad and I are  _ so  _ proud of you. Alright?” Virgil nodded, feeling his eyes start to water slightly. “Alright. And if they don’t want to be your friends, that’s their fault, not yours. You reached out to them, and that’s good enough. You’ll know when the right people come along, Stormcloud, trust me.” He gently squeezed Virgil’s shoulders. “Now, why don’t you go upstairs and work on homework, and later tonight we can have a family night.”

Virgil gave his Papa a small smile. “Game night or movie night?”

His Papa chuckled. “Both, if you get your work done before dinner.” He playfully swatted at Virgil’s arm. “Now go! I want to beat you in Uno while we watch  _ The Little Mermaid _ !”

Virgil laughed as he grabbed his backpack, heading upstairs. “Fat chance! I’ll be beating you in Monopoly while we watch _ Tangled _ !”

“Oh, it’s on!” Virgil laughed as he left the kitchen, going upstairs to their home. He quickly made his way to his room, throwing his backpack onto the bed and moving towards his desk. He’d already finished all of his homework at school (the one advantage to having no friends meant that Virgil had time at school to get work done) so Virgil had the rest of the afternoon to himself. Virgil suddenly spun around, double-checking that he’d locked his door. Virgil didn’t want his parents to know about this. As much as Virgil loved his Papa and Dad, he knew that they would try and make a big deal out of it.

Virgil reached into his desk and pulled out a medium-sized sketchpad. Each page was completely filled with different outfits. There were casual outfits, pajamas, suits, tuxes, dresses, anything Virgil wanted to sketch at the time. Most of the outfits were Virgil’s original ideas, each one inspired by something Virgil experience in his day-to-day life. Most of the models had Virgil’s body type. But some of them were modeled after his classmates and random strangers. He even had a few based off of famous models, but he didn’t do those often.

Virgil sighed as he flipped through the pages. The idea of making these clothes and even  _ modeling  _ some of them was a fool’s dream. Virgil was a loner emo, a social outcast. He had no chance of doing anything special with his life. He would probably take over the bakery after his parents retired. That’s why he didn’t show them the sketches. He didn’t want to get their hopes up (he also didn’t want to admit that he wanted to model the skirts and dresses just as much as the suits and tuxes. Virgil knew that his parents wouldn’t judge him, but he knew that the rest of the world would).

Virgil pulled out his colored pencils as he flipped to a new page. He put on his headphones to help concentrate before letting his hand have full creative control. He decided to sketch something similar to the new line of suits that  _ Deceit  _ styled a few weeks ago. Deceit was one of the few models that Virgil regularly sketched, and Virgil would admit that he had a crush on the teenage heir of  _ Scale & Tail Designs.  _ Virgil sometimes dreamed of working for  _ Scale & Tail  _ and falling in love with Deceit.

Virgil shook his head, focusing back on the sketch. It was a fool’s dream. But Virgil didn’t stop himself from sketching a little heart next to the suit.


	29. Day 29: Tattoo Parlor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil is a tattoo artist, engaging in his usual (flirty) banter with his favorite customer (and crush), Remus.  
> Virgil POV, Dukexiety

_ Ding! _

Virgil smiled to himself as he heard Patton talking from the front of the parlor. “Hey, Remus! Go ahead and head on back. V’s already back there setting up!”

Virgil didn’t bother to get up from where he was laying, hearing the thundering of footsteps as his crush walked towards the private room. He smirked when his larger figure loomed in the doorway. “Well if it isn’t my favorite customer! Ready for another round?”

Remus chuckled as he closed the door behind him. “When am I not ready for your sexy touch?”

Virgil laughed as Remus took off his shirt. “You’ve got me there. Now, why don’t you come over here and show me the marks I left from last time?”

Remus smirked as he sauntered over to where Virgil was now sitting. “You’ve got it, babes.” He quickly got on the table, practically straddling Virgil’s hips as he loomed over the smaller man. Virgil smirked at the shirtless man, reaching up to gently tug at the bandages on his shoulder. They quickly fell away to reveal a beautiful sword etched into Remus’ skin. The tattoo was varying shades of green and black, showcasing a myriad of details within the design. Virgil let his finger brush up Remus’ arm and towards where his neck met his spine, where the hilt began. He could feel Remus shudder under the touch. Virgil smiled. “I’m gonna be honest, this turned out a lot better than I expected it to.”

Remus chuckled, and Virgil suppressed a blush at the way the skin moved from under his fingers. “You say that with every tattoo you give me.” He used his other hand to gesture towards the rest of his body, where dozens of different tattoos lay scattered in varying levels of complexity.

Virgil snorted, gently pushing against Remus’ chest until he got up. “So I’m a pessimist. Sue me.” He quickly got off of the table and gestured for Remus to lay down. “Come on, let’s get this bad boy cleaned up.” Virgil suppressed another blush as Remus winked before laying down. Virgil knew that their relationship wasn’t professional. But nothing about Remus was professional. And if these flirtatious interactions were the closet thing that Virgil would get to being with Remus, then he wouldn’t complain.

Remus smirked as he laid down on the table. “So, is this the last session for now?”

Virgil smirked back at him, but on the inside he frowned. “Until you decide to get another one.” It would probably be another 2-3 months before Remus came back to the parlor, probably longer since his last tattoo was so big.

Remus winked as Virgil started disinfecting his skin. “You know it won’t be too long.”

Virgil grumbled good-heartedly. “Yeah, yeah, you masochist.”

Remus smiled his usual deranged smile. “You know my kinks better than I do, you sexy sexy man~”

Virgil raised one eyebrow. “And you know that I’m more than just some one night stand.”

Remus went quiet at that, and Virgil deemed it the end of their conversation. They tended to keep talking to a minimum while Virgil worked so he could concentrate. That’s why he got an entire back room to himself; Virgil was an insanely good tattoo artist, but he tended to get really jumpy around loud noises.

They spent the next few hours in complete silence, the only sound being the quiet buzzing of the tattoo needle. Virgil always felt like these moments with Remus were more intimate than moments with other clients. Every inch of Remus’ skin that Virgil stained was like a stroke of paint upon a masterpiece. Virgil felt like he was claiming parts of Remus’ skin with every second that passed, and every session told him something new about Remus. The gorey images along his other arm depicted different intrusive thoughts that never fully went away. The red and gold rose on his left hip represented his twin brother, who had matching black and green roses. The two-headed snake on his right hip represented Janus, his best friend since childhood. Even the sword told a story, with thorns of envy and towers of pride; a blade sharpened with aggression and tentacles to protect him from himself. Every inch told another story, and every inch made Virgil’s love for the man grow stronger.

Eventually, Virgil did all that he could. “Alright, just keep it covered for a while and we should be good!”

Remus’ voice was quiet as he spoke. “What if it wasn’t?”

Virgil frowned. “If it wasn’t covered? It’ll probably get infected-”

Remus shook his head. “No. What if…what if-” he sighed, collecting his thoughts. “What if it wasn’t just a one night stand?”

Virgil blinked slowly. “What?”

Remus continued, slowly growing more confident. “Virgil, I’ve been wanting to get into your pants since the day we met, all those years ago. But I’ve been wanting to have something serious with you for almost just as long. You’re snarky, and sarcastic, and you always know what I’m thinking. You keep the darker thoughts away. I’ve never felt happier than during our banter. I spend every moment out of here thinking about you, forcing myself to stay away so you didn’t think I was creepy. I want to be in a relationship with you, not just a one night stand.”

Virgil quickly snapped his jaw shut when he realized that he was gaping slightly. His voice was slightly strangled as he spoke. “How do I know you’re being serious?” He saw Remus’ head tilt, and he turned away, unable to look. “My past boyfriends… haven’t been the best. How do I know you’re not just going to fuck me and leave?”

Remus was silent for a while and Virgil frowned. Here he was, being asked out by the man of his dreams, and Virgil’s stupid brain was too paranoid to believe him.  _ Stupid! Stupid! Stu- _

Virgil jumped when he felt a hand press against his glove. Virgil spun around to face Remus, who pulled the glove down slightly to reveal a small stormcloud tattoo on Virgil’s wrist. “This was your first tattoo, right?” Virgil nodded, blushing slightly.  _ He remembered that? I don’t even remember when I told him that, it’s been so long. And he still remembers?  _ “Then how about this: you and I go on a date. One date. We don’t even have to fuck if you don’t want to. And if you decide that you wanna be with me, I’ll get that same tattoo. Any size, any place. All of my tattoos mean things to me, and I want you to mean the most. Just please, give me a chance.”

Virgil swallowed. “C-can you give me some time to think about it?”

Remus’ eyes went wide, and he quickly nodded. “Of course! You don’t have to pick now if you don’t want to. Just- oh, my number’s on record, right?” Virgil nodded. “Then just call me when you’ve decided. And if you don’t wanna be with me, that’s okay! I’ll keep my distance, or we could pretend this never happened- and if you never wanna see me again, I completely understand-”

Virgil quickly pressed his lips to Remus’ effectively silencing him. Before Remus could fully register what was happening, Virgil had pulled away. “I wanna say yes.” Virgil whispered. “But… I need time to think about it. Okay?”

Remus nodded. “Okay. Okay!” He awkwardly sat up. “I guess… I’ll hear from you later?”

Virgil smiled. “Yeah. Later.”


	30. Day 30: Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a world where magic is punishable by death, Logan's got a secret and a question he needs an answer to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry how short this is, but I'll continue it soon!

Logan’s eyes lit up as he skimmed the covers of the impressive pile of books. They were all old and withered, with some not even written in English. But Logan knew what they all said. He always knew. He turned to the man who was standing outside of his house, a cloak obscuring his face. Logan quickly pulled out a sack of coins and handed them to the man. “It was a pleasure doing business with you.”  
The man simply grunted, taking the coins and vanishing into the night. Logan carefully brought the books inside. They were soon all laying on the floor of his study, sorted by language and subject. Logan could get in a lot of trouble if he was found with even one of these books. But Logan didn’t really care at the moment, his thirst for knowledge and need for answers pushing him forward.  
Logan had to take his time with each book, simply because the pages were so withered and frail. The newest book there was at least 200 years old. Which made sense, since magic had been banned for almost just as long.  
Magic. An odd word to hear anymore. Just accidentally mentioning something beyond the realm of possibility could make you an outcast. Saying the word ‘magic’ could have you imprisoned. Those who could actually perform magic? They were never seen again, if they survived the townspeople’s beatings.  
But magic was such a fascinating concept. There had been hundreds of years where people hypothesized where magic originated. Some believed that creatures such as phoenixes and fae had gifted special humans. Others believed that it was an adaptation, or perhaps a genetic modification. Logan didn’t know what to believe.  
There were just too many forms of magic to know! There were the elementals, who could bend an element to their will (powerful ones could control more!) Then there were the shapeshifters, who could morph their bodies into those of animals (or people). And the whisperers! Those who could understand any animal.  
… and the linguists. Those who could understand every language from the day they were born. They have the easiest time hiding in plain sight, but even they have disappeared over the years. That’s why Logan was here, scouring through hundreds of years of illegal texts. He needed to know why he was a linguist. Why was he chosen to hide himself from society!?  
Logan sighed as he almost ripped one of the pages. He carefully closed the book, placing it (and all the other illegal texts) in a small storage space under the floorboards. He glanced around, making sure that he had everything hidden-  
What’s that? Logan picked up the small book at the far end of the study. He frowned at the lack of title. He flipped it open and sighed. It’s just a blank notebook. Was it in one of the other books? He flipped through the pages for a little longer before sighing. There doesn’t appear to be anything magical about it. Might as well put it to good use. He put the book in his satchel hanging on the wall before heading to bed.


	31. Day 31: Fantasy + Crime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on a tumblr writing prompt:  
> “Other princesses have Fairy Godmothers. You have a Fairy Godfather. He doesn’t exactly grant wishes in the usual way, but the Fairy Mob always has your back.”  
> TW CHILD ABUSE AND ANIMAL DEATH

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've made it. Chapter 31. Since most people voted that I focus on 3-4 fics at a time, I will be doing that. I suggest you bookmark this fic, as every chapter after this will be voting and listing the order of fics that I will continue. I'll post the list of chapters tomorrow so people can vote on which chapters they want continued.

Patton grunted as he scrubbed the floors with all the energy he had. He bit back a whimper as his back throbbed from the fresh bruises and cuts. He wasn’t allowed to make a sound until he was asked a question. Patton knew that if he was too loud, his back wouldn’t be the only thing bruised.

“BOY!” Patton’s head snapped up to see his mother at the top of the staircase. Patton made sure to keep direct eye contact, partly because it was required and partly because his mother was wearing nothing but a loose sheer robe.

“Yes, ma’am?” Patton internally winced at the pain in his voice. Showing weakness just meant worse punishments.

Luckily she didn’t seem to notice, making her way down the stairs to the parlor. “Stop scrubbing the tiles. Your work was…” she sneered at the pristine floors, so clean she could almost use it as a mirror. “...adequate. Apparently we will have guests coming over for dinner tonight. Pasta won’t be enough for tonight. Since we haven’t been able to get a new chef yet,  _ you’ll _ need to prepare a meal for the seven of us. Just cook up a few chickens and serve it with the pasta and salad.” She turned and started to walk away.

Patton whimpered. “The chickens?” That meant that he’d have to… _ k-kill the chickens. _

Suddenly, a hand collided with his cheek. Patton reeled back, falling onto the ground behind him. Patton’s mother stood above him, fuming. “What did you say, boy!?”

Patton bit back a whimper. “Nothing, ma’am.”

She gave him a look before huffing, storming up the stairs. “We better have a perfect dinner tonight, boy! Or you’ll wish for a fate worse than death!”

Patton forced himself to stand up, ignoring the pain as dread forced its way into his system. He grabbed the cleaning supplies and limped his way over to the kitchen, putting them in their respective places. He then opened the door from the kitchen to the backyard, whimpering as a few drops of heavy rain hit his skin. He made it around halfway to the coop before collapsing.

Patton let out a strangled sob as everything hit him at once. The pain in his back from his previous beating. The pain in his knees and arms from scrubbing the floor for several hours. The pain in his face from talking out of turn. The pain from the heavy raindrops hitting his skin and freezing his bones. The pain in his heart from what he had to do.

Patton continued to cry, unaware that the rain had stopped. Or, more importantly, that the rain had somehow shifted to where the area around Patton remained dry; and the area around the manor’s windows increased with vigor, making it impossible to see anything from inside the manor.

Patton heard the sound of a twig snapping off to his left and immediately sat up, forcing his tears to stop flowing (a trick he’d found useful over the years). He internally frowned at the mud on his clothes before forcing a smile onto his face. He turned to look at the person approaching, confusion rising in the back of his mind. His parents had fired all of the staff over the past few years, and the guests weren’t scheduled to arrive until later tonight. And there was no way that his parents would be found outside in the mud. So who could it be?

Standing a few feet away from Patton was a young man, around 30 years old in appearance. He wore a simple black suit with a blood-red undershirt and handkerchief. His dark brown hair was perfectly arranged, and his tanned skin looked flawless. His dark green eyes pierced their way into Patton’s soul. (Patton was so busy observing the man’s ethereal beauty, he didn’t even realize that  _ the man was completely dry).  _ The man smiled at Patton, showing his perfectly white teeth. “Hello, young one.” His voice was deep and smooth, reminding Patton of a warm fire after a long day of work. “What is your name?”

Patton let out a shaky breath. The man was a stranger, and it would make sense not to talk to strangers. But Patton’s learned from experience that he would be in pain if he didn’t answer questions when asked. “My name is Patton, sir.”

The man’s smile widened slightly. “ _ Patton,  _ what a lovely name.” Patton shivered as the words brushed across his skin. “Tell me,  _ Patton,  _ why are you crying?”

Patton started crying again, not realizing that he was more eager to speak than normal. “I-I have t-to kill the chickens.” He whimpered out, wincing as one of his tears rolled over a cut on his jaw.

The man frowned, tilting his head to the side. “Why must you kill the chickens?”

Patton let out another sob. “We have guests arriving for dinner, and mother wants me to cook some of the chickens for supper.”

The man smiled. “Oh, have you never killed a chicken before?”

Patton shook his head. “No, sir. Ever since father fired the cook, I’ve been buying meat from the market. But we were on such short notice, and we have no meat beyond the chickens in the coop.”

The man’s expression darkened. “I assumed that your parents worked in the manor.”

Patton shook his head. “No, sir. My parents are Lord and Lady Hart. There are no more workers in the manor.”

The man frowned. “I was unaware that the Harts had any children. And how do they keep the manor in such pristine condition without anyone to take care of it.”

Patton smiled slightly, glad to prove his usefulness. “I am the only child of Lord and Lady Hart. And I am the one who takes care of the manor!”

The man furrowed his eyebrows. “ _ You  _ keep this entire manor in this condition. You can’t be any older than 10!”

Patton’s smile fell slightly. Yes, he did look quite young, with his blonde curly hair and big blue eyes, freckles smattered across his bruised skin. And maybe he was quite small, around the height of a 10-year-old and so skinny that most of his bones were showing. But it still hurt to be called a child. “I’m 14, sir.”

The man’s face was now blank. “What.”

Patton felt another chill go up his spine, but he forced himself to keep his voice from shaking as he spoke. “I turn 15 in the fall.” It was currently spring, when the rains were heavy and the winter chill was barely letting up.

The man smiled again. Even though there was no difference between this smile and the last one, something told Patton that this one was forced. “Ah, how I love birthdays. How will you celebrate it?”

Patton tilted his head to the side, confused. “Celebrate?”

The man clenched his fist slightly, but his smile and relaxed posture stayed the same. “Well, Patton, I came bearing a gift.” He kneeled down to where Patton was still sitting on the ground. “Have you ever heard of a Fairy Godmother?”

Patton thought for a moment before shaking his head. “I don’t believe I have, sir.”

The man frowned slightly before smiling again. “Well, in most fairytales, a young maiden in need will be blessed with a Fairy Godmother, who helps them achieve their dreams.” He brought his hand up to cup Patton’s bruised cheek. The hand was extremely warm compared to the chilly air, and Patton leaned into the touch. “A Fairy Godfather, on the other hand, is slightly different. They can protect young humans who have been hurt by the people they should be loved by. And you, Patton, have been hurt very badly.”

Patton shook his head. “But sir, I deserve my pain!” He saw the incredulous look he was given, and started rambling. “I slept in this morning and was late to cook breakfast, so Father set me straight. I didn’t have the flavor of jam that Mother wanted out on the table, so she punished me for not being prepared. I didn’t call Father ‘sir’ when answering his question, so I was punished. I spoke out of turn instead of doing my job, so Mother gave me a smack as a warning. She was very generous that time. Just today, I’ve been so disobedient. I’m a horrible son. I don’t deserve a Fairy Godfather!”

“Shh…” A thumb caressed his cheekbone, and Patton melted into the touch, still crying. He hiccuped as the thumb wiped away his tears. “Don’t cry, little one. You are not to blame.” Patton went to interrupt, but the hand grew warmer, and Patton sighed at the blissful feeling. “Patton, you may feel as though you deserved this, but you did not. No child deserves the pain that you’ve been through.” Patton let his head be tilted upwards, and his gaze was suddenly locked onto the man’s piercing emerald gaze. His eyes seemed to glow as he spoke. “Patton, I wish to be your Fairy Godfather. Will you allow me to protect you, to allow yourself true happiness? To end the pain and suffering, once and for all?” The air around them seemed to still at his words, the world itself bending to his will. “Patton Hart, do you accept me as your Fairy Godfather?”

Patton’s instinctive thought was to say no. He deserved his pain! The man would soon see how damaged Patton was, and Patton didn’t want to burden another person! But another, smaller part of him spoke up. It was the part of Patton that yearned for the warmth of this stranger’s hand. The part of Patton that smiled when he heard a happy tune, and cried when his parents stopped tucking him in at night. The part that didn’t want Patton to be hurt any longer.  _ I want to be happy. _

Patton let out a sob, nodding his head frantically. The man smiled sadly. “Child, you need to use that lovely voice of yours.”

Patton ignored the way his voice cracked as he forced himself to answer. “Yes! I accept you as my Fairy Godfather.”

The man smiled, his green eyes glowing. “Then it is done.” There was a flash of bright light, reminiscent of a fire, and Patton had to close his eyes. When he opened them, the man was gone, a small ring lying where he once stood. It was a beautiful gold ring with ruby gemstones along the band. He slipped the ring onto his finger, and was surprised to see that it was a perfect fit. Patton slowly stood up, noting that not only had the rain stopped, the pain on his cheek had completely disappeared. He turned towards the chicken coop, dread forming in his stomach from what he now had to do-

Five chickens were laid out next to the coop, all with their necks snapped. Patton shakily made his way to the coop, scooping up the chickens to take inside. Their feathers were completely dry, and so were Patton’s cheeks. He had no more tears to shed at the moment.

Patton lugged the dead chickens inside, checking his face in the nearby mirror. His cheek was still bruised, but Patton couldn’t feel any pain from it. Patton shrugged it off, focusing on the task at hand. He did his best to follow the directions from an old cookbook he’d found on how to properly prepare raw chicken. It took the rest of the day to cook, and Patton had just made the pasta when there was a knock on the front door. Patton ignored it, moving to make the salad. He knew that his father would answer the door, and that Patton was not to be seen by the guests.

Sure enough, Patton heard his father’s voice ring throughout the house. “Welcome! You must be Lord Ignus. It is a pleasure to meet you!”

The person laughed. “You’re referring to my brother. You may call me Viridi. These are my associates. You may call them Anguis and Umbra. My brother had some matters to attend to, but he and our final associate should arrive before dinner begins.”

Patton continued to chop the vegetables as he heard his father speak. “Then, let us wait for them in the study.” Patton heard footsteps moving in the opposite direction and sighed, wiping the sweat off of his brow. He’d been working in this stuffy kitchen for hours now.

The door suddenly swung open, revealing Patton’s mother. “Is the food ready, boy?”

Patton shrunk under her gaze, but continued to cut the vegetables. “The chicken and pasta are ready to be served, ma’am. I’m currently cutting up the vegetables for the salad. It should be ready in a few minutes.”

Patton’s mother glared at him. “It should already be done by now!”

Patton whimpered. “I’m sorry.”

His mother scoffed. “Grab some Chardenney to go with the chicken.”

Patton frowned. “We don’t have any Chardenney left…”

Patton shouldn’t have been surprised by the pain that now bloomed across the back of his skull. He whimpered as he accidentally cut himself with the knife. “Listen here you brat.” She growled out. “You are nothing but a nuisance and a waste of space. If you can’t do your job correctly, you’ll wish for death by the time I’m done with you.” She pushed him forward, and Patton winced as the knife dug into his skin. “Get some damn wine.” And with that, she left.

Patton held back tears as he held his now blood-covered hand close to his chest. The pain was excruciating, and Patton didn’t know what to do-

“Is she always like that?” Patton spun around to see a man sitting on the countertop near the door, relaxed as if he’d been there for hours. He wore an expensive-looking black suit with a purple undershirt and handkerchief. His pitch black hair almost completely covered his amethyst colored eyes. His skin was deathly pale, nearly translucent.

Patton attempted to ignore the pain in his hand as he answered the man’s question. “I’m not sure what you mean, sir-”

“Please drop the formalities.” The man interrupted, examining his dark purple nails. “Call me Umbra.”

Patton bowed his head. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Umbra. My name is Patton.”

Umbra seemed to shudder as his eyes appeared to glow. Patton blinked in surprise, and the glowing was gone. “It’s dangerous to just give your name out like that, Pa-” He suddenly stopped, appearing to sniff the air. His gaze focused on Patton’s hands. “You’re injured.”

Patton looked down, staring at his blood-soaked hands. He’d almost forgotten about his injury. “It’s fine-”

A hand touched his, and Patton looked up in alarm. Umbra was suddenly in front of him, inches away. Patton felt his breath catch as Umbra whispered. “I’d assumed it was the chicken I was smelling…” His fingers traced through Patton’s blood along the cut, and Patton felt a shiver go up his spine. They stood like that for several seconds before Umbra’s fingers grazed against Patton’s ring. “Where did you get this?”

Patton saw Umbra’s expression and looked down at his feet. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

There was a moment of silence before Umbra sighed, letting go of his hand. “The bleeding stopped. Go ahead and rinse the blood off. I’ll finish chopping the vegetables.” Patton was about to speak up, but Umbra beat him to it. “ _ Do it, Patton.” _

Patton felt the shiver again as he went to do what he was told, knowing that he could get in more trouble for refusing. He carefully washed the blood off of his hands, making sure that there were no stains from it. He looked back at Umbra and was surprised to see that the salad was done and a bottle of Chardonnay sat next to it. “H-how?”

Umbra smirked. “I am a man of many talents.” He turned and opened the door leading to the dining room. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Patton. I’m sure we’ll meet again soon.”

Patton shuddered as the door closed. He didn’t  _ feel _ uncomfortable, but something about the people he’s met today…

Patton shook his head, grabbing the salad and wine. He needed to have the dining table ready for dinner!

Patton quickly had the food on the table, each dish covered to keep them warm and/or fresh. He then filled the glasses with wine before quickly hurrying back to the kitchen. Technically, Patton should go to his room (one of the old servant's quarters), but he didn't want to get in trouble for not cleaning up the kitchen. Patton felt his stomach twist in hunger, and Patton wished that he had eaten some of the food before moving it to the dining room. But that would be bad. Patton’s already done enough bad things today. Only good boys got food.

Patton heard the door from the parlor to the dining room open. “My esteemed guests, may I present to you: your dinner!”

Patton whimpered, hugging his knees. He wasn’t allowed to be in the dining room while the guests were eating, and the only other door led to the chicken coop, and Patton wasn’t allowed outside unless he was doing chores! He was stuck in the kitchen until the meal was over!

Patton whimpered as his stomach twisted painfully in hunger. He wasn’t told he could eat tonight, but maybe Patton could have some bread for cooking the chicken well on his first try?

Patton was about to get up and find some bread when he heard a familiar voice. “Thank you for treating us to this feast, Lord Hart.”

Patton’s blood went cold as he heard his father answer. “Please, Lord Hart was my father’s name. We have no need for formalities between us. My name is John, and this is my wife, Elizabeth.”

Patton felt his skin grow warm as the voice chuckled. “Then call me Rubrum.”

Patton forced himself to stand as the discussion continued. “Well, I’ve been introduced to the others, but who’s this young man?”

A different voice answered. “You may call me Glacies. It is a pleasure to be here, John.”

Patton cracked open the door and surveyed the dining room. Patton’s father was closest to Patton, sitting at the head of the table. His back was to Patton, and for that Patton was grateful. Patton’s mother sat on his left. A few seats down sat five men in expensive black suits with different colored accessories. Patton recognized one of them as Umbrum, and-

Patton barely held back a gasp, remembering to stay silent at the last second. Sitting at the other end of the table, staring at him from his spot behind the door, was Patton’s Fairy Godfather.


	32. AU-gust Continuation Poll

Hello! Now that AU-gust is over, it’s time to vote for the order of continuations! You have two ways to vote:

**Option #1:** Go to  [ https://forms.gle/6HcA7pGZ67nPCkCz6 ](https://forms.gle/6HcA7pGZ67nPCkCz6) to vote for up to 5 AUs

**Option #2:** Write your vote in the comments below!

You can do either (or both, if you want to ensure your favorite AU will be first). While I personally prefer option #1, since it already sorts through the answers for me, option #2 will probably be easiest for you to vote and it allows you to give reasons or list your favorite out of your five votes.

Here is a list of all 31 AUs. You may notice that a couple of them have a “?” beside the AU. This means that I’m not entirely sure how I’m continuing that AU. I don’t dislike that AU, but I might hold it off until I get inspiration, unless the majority of people vote for it. Unless I get a landslide vote, I’ll probably wait 2-3 days until selecting the winners. I can’t wait to see what you vote for :)

  1. Fantasy 
  2. College ?
  3. Soulmates ?
  4. Angels & Demons 
  5. Post-Apocalypse 
  6. Hospital
  7. Childhood friends ?
  8. Superheroes/Superpowers 
  9. Royalty
  10. Pirates
  11. Farm/Ranch
  12. Crime
  13. Rock Band
  14. Vampire
  15. Coffee Shop ?
  16. Treasure Hunters
  17. Modern Setting
  18. Bodyguard
  19. 19th century
  20. Single Parent
  21. Professional Rivals
  22. Futuristic
  23. Arranged Marriage
  24. Private Detective
  25. Circus
  26. Monster Hunters
  27. Flower Shop ?
  28. Fashion & Models
  29. Tattoo Parlor ?
  30. Magic
  31. Fairytale + Crime




	33. Continuation Order (for now)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is now time to see which fics I shall be continuing first!

Okay, I'm honestly surprised by some of these results. Not by which fics actually won, but by how much they won by. Here, let me show you the top nine winners (just as reference, there were 52 total voters, so 52 votes would be 100%):

1st place- Fantasy + Crime (Fairy Mafia) = 25 votes (48.08%)

2nd place- Post-Apocalypse = 21 votes (40.28%)

3rd place- Bodyguard = 13 votes (25%)

4th place- three-way tie = 12 votes (23.08%)

-Single Parent

-Arranged Marriage

-Rock Band

7th place- two-way tie = 11 votes (21.15%)

-Monster Hunter

-Modern Setting

9th place- Treasure Hunters = 10 votes (19.23%)

(The reason I didn't do top ten is because 10th place was also a 3-way tie with 9 votes)

After the first two won by a landslide, almost all of the other AUs tied with at least on other AU. It was crazy to look at. I'll definitely be focusing on Faintasy + Crime and Post-Apocalypse, since those seem to be heavily wanted. I might hold another poll after that, just to see if things change. By the way, I'm pretty sure you can vote multiple times on the previous poll and I heavily encourage you to do so, just so I can see what fics people want to see other than out 2 blatant winners (this does not mean to vote for Arranged Marriage 50 times. I give you this power to use responsibly. If people try to do that, I'll switch over to only voting in the comments. I just thought that people would enjoy the anonymity).

So, hopefully I'll get the first few chapters uploaded into the series by today or tomorrow. I suggest you bookmark that series or keep a close eye on it, because I will only add chapters to this fic (Sanders Sides AU-gust One Shots) to list the next AUs I'll continue or if I need to run another poll. These AUs will be getting their own fics in the series that this fic is in (scroll down and you'll see the series link). Until then, I will see y'all later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm literally writing this an hour later right before I hit post. I am also posting these on tumblr under the name emy_loves_you. I also answer questions about the series and take requests! If you're interested, go check it out!


	34. Important Question

I'm sorry for not posting over the past few days but I'm not doing so hot right now and I need some opinions. I got into a bad argument with someone, and their opinion basically boiled down to "asexuals shouldn't be allowed to write smut, and aromantics shouldn't be allowed to write romance." As an asexual and aro-supporter, this really pissed me off and now I wanna write a smut scene out of pure spite. I was considering the Modern Setting AU to be the only fic with smut scenes (and even then I was nervous) because I wasn't sure how it would be received. But right now I'm too pissed to care.

So yeah, once I have a chance to cool down I'm probably gonna regret this, but I'm sticking to my word. Smut scenes will be made if I believe they fit into the narrative of the story. The question is: would you prefer it if I created separate fics for NSFW chapters, or would it be alright if I stick them in the fics they belong in? Neither answer will upset me, just know that I will be writing these either way. That is all. I am going to go take something for my headache and try to get some sleep. Good night (oh, and if any of you agree with the whole "asexuals/aromantics shouldn't be allowed to write smut/romance" bull, then stay the fuck away. That opinion is not tolerated here)


	35. Update

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to show, this is where warnings for smut would go. They will be placed at the beginning of the chapter. I will also be listing any explicit violence up here as well. If there is anything else that you would like warning for, let me know!

Now that I've had some time to cool down, I would like to apologize. I was not in a good place last night and I lost who I considered a really close friend. Still, that does not excuse my behavior. I should've waited until I calmed down before posting that. I should not have taken out my aggression that way. This AO3 account and my tumblr are meant to be safe spaces for you to read and interact with. If my aggression upset any of you, I apologize.

While I apologize for taking my aggression out on that post, I do not apologize for what I said. People should be allowed to read and write whatever pleases them, regardless of orientation or previous experiences. Sadly, some people believe that your orientation should restrict your writing abilities. Let it be known that that opinion is not tolerated here.

I am sticking with my word when it comes to writing smut. Since most people said they were okay with keeping smut chapters in their original fics, I will keep them in. Smut scenes will be labeled at the beginning of the chapter in the notes, and will be separated by a line break (along with a "smut starts/ends here!" warning). I will try to keep plot out of sexual scenes, but there might be some in sensual scenes (such as first kisses and implied smut scenes). The only fic that might not follow this is the Modern Setting AU, only because it could potentially have more smut than plot, I haven't decided yet (what's your opinion on that? Let me know so I can keep or revise what I have).

I'm still not in a good headspace, so it might be another day or two before I update anything. Thank you for being so patient and understanding.


End file.
